Trump criticizes Jeanine Pirro but will not say whether her job is safe
Trump faulted Pirro for dropping the Reflecting Pool case, while new evidence cited by prosecutors pointed to a flawed installation.
By Dev Ramirez · Crypto Correspondent
· 3 min read
President Donald Trump criticized U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro over her office’s decision to dismiss a Reflecting Pool vandalism case, but the latest Trump Jeanine Pirro job comments stopped short of a personnel decision. For readers tracking how political pressure can intersect with federal enforcement, the key point is that Trump expressed dissatisfaction without saying Pirro would be removed.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said Pirro “made a mistake” and “choked” when she sought dismissal of the indictment against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, CNBC reported. Asked whether he was reconsidering Pirro’s role as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Trump did not directly answer. The White House later referred CNBC to those remarks when asked whether he continued to support her.
Why did Jeanine Pirro drop the Reflecting Pool case?
Pirro’s office asked a court Friday to dismiss charges against Hearn after receiving additional information that undercut the prosecution’s original theory. According to the filing, evidence indicated that a flawed installation by contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings, rather than vandalism, was responsible for damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool’s liner.
Prosecutors said a visual inspection found damage across the pool, including in its middle, where they said a vandal would be unlikely to try peeling the lining. The filing said the newly obtained information made it difficult to tie the widespread damage to vandalism, much less prove that claim beyond a reasonable doubt, according to Associated Press reporting published by PBS.
The office also said it would not have sought a grand-jury indictment if the Interior Department had initially provided information later supplied after the case began. Pirro’s filing faulted the department for not providing complete information at the outset, PBS reported.
Hearn was indicted July 2 on allegations that he forcefully removed part of the pool liner with his hands on June 19. He pleaded not guilty, according to NBC News. A dismissal motion means prosecutors are asking to end the case; it is different from a verdict after trial.
Trump and Interior still dispute the conclusion
Trump has continued to say vandals caused the principal damage, while acknowledging there may have been contractor problems. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also maintained that vandalism occurred and said the department had supplied the U.S. attorney’s office with requested evidence, according to PBS.
Trump shared security footage that he said showed people cutting material at the pool. But the AP reported that it was not clear from the video whether vandalism took place. The competing claims remain unresolved publicly; the immediate legal outcome was driven by prosecutors’ assessment that the available evidence could no longer support the Hearn case.
The pool renovation was undertaken ahead of America 250-related events. Atlantic Industrial Coatings received a $14.7 million no-bid contract to repaint and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor, PBS reported. The dismissal filing cited a rushed effort to finish the project among the information pointing toward installation problems.
Hearn’s attorney has called for an apology from the government, NBC News reported. That is the defense’s position, not a court finding. No announcement has been made that Pirro has been fired, replaced or guaranteed her position.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.
