President Donald Trump said he will not remove U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro after she moved to dismiss criminal charges last week against former Olympic paddler David Hearn in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool case — even as he called her decision "stupid" and continued to insist the pool had been vandalized despite no public evidence supporting that claim.
In a Thursday phone interview with NBC News, Trump criticized Pirro — a former New York prosecutor and judge who has frequently defended him on television — for asking the District of Columbia Superior Court to drop charges against Hearn, who had faced up to 10 years in prison for allegedly damaging a portion of the pool's liner.
"She said there was no vandalism. There was tremendous vandalism," Trump said. "So, she made a terrible mistake. I don't understand why she did such a stupid thing."
When pressed about whether Pirro would be removed for the decision, Trump replied: "I think she made a terrible decision. That doesn't mean change." He nevertheless reiterated his view that the century-old reflecting pool had been deliberately damaged, despite Pirro's court filing that attributed the breach in the liner to a botched installation by a contractor chosen by the administration.
Prosecutor's Filing and Internal Dispute
In a motion to the court, Pirro argued that the damage to the pool's liner resulted from contractor error and said it would be "difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt." Earlier in the matter, she had publicly criticized Hearn, accusing him of "woefully destroying property" and of pulling the lining "forcefully and violently."
Trump continues to claim the pool was damaged by vandals despite no evidence supporting the allegation (Getty)
Those conflicting statements contributed to an internal dispute between Pirro's office and officials at the Department of the Interior. Pirro said her office had received "less than fulsome information" from Interior, a disagreement that reportedly led to a confrontation in the Oval Office last week.
Pool Renovation, Costs And Legal Fallout
The shallow Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was recently refurbished with a darker blue liner and fitted with so-called "advanced nanobubbler technology" intended to combat recurring algae blooms. Algae reappeared soon after the renovation, and the new sealant began to peel up in chunks that rose to the surface.
Trump initially suggested the 2,030-foot refurbishment could be completed for about $1.5 million in time for Fourth of July events. Federal spending records now show the administration has spent nearly $14.7 million on the project, with payments directed to Atlantic Industrial Coatings LLC of Virginia.
Hearn's attorneys have asked the court to dismiss the charges with prejudice, a move that would prevent the government from refiling the case. They cited the president's repeated public assertions that the damage was the result of vandalism even after Pirro's filing suggested contractor error.
Reporting note: Alex Woodward contributed reporting from New York.
