President Donald Trump has continued to press his case against former Olympian David Hearn, who was previously charged with felony vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
According to court documents shared by Trump on Truth Social, a National Park Service employee identified as W-1 provided an account of the incident. The employee alleged that Hearn initially used his cellphone to take photos or video of damage to the pool before kneeling and placing both hands into the water to "violently" rip and tug at the blue pool coating.
The document states that W-1 asked a second NPS employee to contact police, but Hearn allegedly continued tugging at the coating until National Guard soldiers arrived. Trump pointed to this witness account as evidence that some of the damage was caused deliberately.
Federal prosecutors had moved to dismiss the felony charge against Hearn earlier this month, citing newly disclosed evidence that showed some of the Reflecting Pool damage was tied to flawed installation by contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings and a push to finish the project before events surrounding the America 250 celebration. Prosecutors argued that the government would not have sought an indictment if it had been provided with all relevant information at the time.
Trump has urged U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to revisit the case, saying that the witness account bolsters his claim that some of the damage was caused deliberately. He acknowledged in a post on Truth Social that contractors were responsible for some of the problems at the pool, but described that damage as limited.
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