The White House has asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to consider pursuing a new prosecution against the man accused of vandalizing the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. This comes after federal prosecutors moved to dismiss felony charges against Olympic canoeist David Hearn.
Background
The previous case, which U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office moved to dismiss on July 31, accused Hearn of damaging the $14 million project. However, Pirro’s office cited findings from the Department of the Interior that concluded the damage was linked to flaws in the installation process rather than vandalism.
Despite this, White House officials have reached out to the DOJ to determine whether Hearn could instead face a misdemeanor charge. Hearn’s attorneys have responded, stating that pursuing a new case would undermine the DOJ’s credibility after prosecutors already acknowledged they lacked sufficient evidence to support the original charges.
Reaction
President Donald Trump has urged Pirro to reconsider her decision to drop the felony charge, criticizing Hearn’s alleged political connections and claiming he was a ‘big player’ in the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
