President Donald Trump publicly called on Washington U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to reconsider her decision to drop criminal charges against former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn regarding damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Background of the Case

In a post on Truth Social, the president requested that Pirro “re-visit her hastily made decision” after prosecutors moved to dismiss the felony destruction of property charge against Hearn. The Justice Department acknowledged in a court filing last week that the damage to the pool floor “was the result of flawed installation by the contractor” rather than criminal acts, noting that prosecutors discovered evidence of a “rushed and flawed installation process” only after a grand jury had indicted Hearn.

Trump wrote in his post, “People were on their knees with their hands in the water at the exact location of the ‘slashes,’” and added, “Additionally, there were witnesses to the vandalism, and the flexible areas of the material were cut with a knife.”

Next Steps

The call to reopen the investigation follows a decision on Thursday by D.C. Superior Court Associate Judge Todd Edelman, who granted the government’s request to drop the charges but declined to immediately decide whether the dismissal would be with or without prejudice. A dismissal without prejudice leaves open the possibility for prosecutors to file charges again in the future, while a dismissal with prejudice permanently blocks a renewed prosecution.

Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.