An engineer from the U.S. National Park Service alerted the Trump administration in early June about issues with the floor of the Lincoln Reflecting Pool. According to court documents, the concerns stemmed from the renovation process and materials used. Despite this warning, President Donald Trump accused several individuals of damaging the pool when it reopened. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., then charged former Olympian David Hearn with property destruction during a visit on June 19.
The Park Service engineer’s warning was communicated in a June 11 email, included in court filings. Prosecutors stated they were unaware of any documentation regarding installation problems at the time charges were filed against Hearn. In the email, the engineer mentioned that the top layer of the liner had peeled. They explained it was thin and wouldn’t affect the liner’s strength. The issue was reportedly due to ‘overspray’ while applying polyurea to adjacent joints, as stated by the contractor.
The email suggested the vulnerability of a strip between one and two feet in width to peeling. The engineer shared this information with personnel from the Interior Department and the Park Service. Images taken on August 12 showed the reflecting pool partially drained, with the Washington Monument visible in the background. Kevin Carter / Getty Images captured these.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Spence noted doubts raised by the engineer’s warning about Hearn being responsible for the damages. He stated that the information about the liner being of little value was provided weeks after Hearn’s indictment. Spence argued that such documents weakened the government’s case against Hearn.
On July 31, led by Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney’s Office dropped the charges against Hearn. Newly obtained documents revealed that the June 2020 damages to the Reflecting Pool resulted from poor contractor work by Atlantic Industrial Coatings. Trump criticized Pirro for dropping the charges, asserting that vandalism occurred. Hearn’s legal team is working to block any future attempts by the Justice Department to file charges against their client, alleging political motivations.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has asked a superior court judge to dismiss the case without prejudice. Such a dismissal would allow prosecutors to potentially refile charges against Hearn in the future.