Three-time US Olympian David Hearn has been indicted by a grand jury in Washington DC in connection with alleged vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, following claims by US President Donald Trump that the site had been deliberately damaged.
Background of the Reflecting Pool Renovation
Trump's allegations of vandalism come after his administration's failed £11 million (USD $14.7 million) renovation project of the reflecting pool, which has been widely documented as a disaster. Trump had insisted on painting the bottom of the pool 'American Flag Blue', but within days of its completion, algae blooms turned the water green. Subsequently, the bottom lining began peeling off in strips, with some speculating that hydrogen peroxide—a common paint stripper—dumped into the pool by National Park Service workers to combat algae may have caused the damage.
The Indictment and Charges
Trump, however, maintained that the damaged paint was the work of vandals. The Washington DC indictment accuses Hearn, 67, of 'maliciously' breaking or destroying lining material on the bottom of the reflecting pool on June 19. Prosecutors allege Hearn caused more than £749 ($USD 1,000) worth of damage after pulling up the pool's bottom liner and refusing to stop when challenged. If convicted, Hearn could face up to 10 years in prison.
Jeanine Pirro, the lawyer acting on behalf of Washington DC, announced the single felony charge against the three-time Olympian at a press conference on July 2. Pirro claimed prosecutors had 'tremendous evidence' that the Olympian had 'forcefully and violently' pulled up and removed the bottom liner. She accused Hearn of being 'belligerent' and 'disrespectful' when asked to stop by National Park Service employees. 'Today is about accountability for damaging a national resource, a national treasure,' she said.
Hearn's Denial and Legal Response
Lawyers representing Hearn, Norm Eisen and Mary Dohrmann, denied the allegations following his arrest, accusing the Trump administration of treating ordinary conduct as criminal. 'These charges are outrageous and should be alarming to every American,' they said. 'On the eve of our nation's Independence Day, Americans should be deeply concerned by the misuse of government power against an ordinary citizen based on a concocted narrative.'
Hearn previously told The Associated Press that he reached into the pool to examine the peeling coating, briefly touching a chunk still attached to the side. He said he let go after a park worker told him to do so. He explained he stopped by the pool during a 102-kilometre bike ride but was instead detained by National Guard troops and Park Police for five hours before being released. He also denied deliberately damaging the pool when speaking to the Washington Post following his arrest: 'I didn't vandalise anything. I didn't destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realised what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.'
Trump's Social Media Response
The charge against Hearn comes after Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, in June to attack the 'vandals' he claims are responsible for damaging the pool. He wrote that federal authorities had made 'multiple arrests' of people he claimed were vandalising the reflecting pool. Trump posted: 'Many additional people have been arrested having to do with the disgraceful Vandalism of our beautiful Reflecting Pool. What they have damaged does not even include the earlier killing of a large amount of grass which was, by far, the least of it. They took some form of knife or blade, and put a 250-foot-long gash into the beautiful facade of what took so much work, competence, and money to build and complete. They also poured corrosive and destructive chemicals into the Pool.'
Media Involvement and Broader Context
Trump also attacked a reporter amid the reflecting pool debacle, accusing 'lightweight ABC Reporter Jonathan Karl' of sticking his hand in the pool and trying to rub the rubber off the surface. This came after Karl reported for ABC News that he and his team found the reflecting pool filled with gunk and green algae, and that the multi-million dollar paint job appeared to be falling apart. This contradicts Trump's earlier claims that the renovation was 'very complex, but powerful'. The reflecting pool has plagued previous US administrations, as algae buildup has frequently prevented the water from properly reflecting the Lincoln Memorial as designed.
