Charges dropped against all Reflecting Pool vandalism suspects

Charges have now been dropped against all four defendants who were accused of vandalizing the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. 

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The Justice Department had previously moved to dismiss the charges against former Olympian David Hearn, saying that the damage to the pool was the result of flawed installation and the rush to complete the project. Hearn had pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of property destruction in early July. 

Court records now show that prosecutors are dropping the charges against the three other defendants – Justin Carreno, Cameron Thiers and Sophie Dennison-Gibby – who were all accused of destruction of property with a value of less than $1,000.

Hearn had previously claimed that he was riding a bike near the Reflecting Pool when he stopped to check out the newly peeled coating. He said he briefly touched a chunk attached to the side of the pool, but insisted he let go of it at the direction of a park worker. 

Trump blasts Pirro

On Monday, President Donald Trump continued firing sharp barbs at U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, saying that his handpicked choice to be the top federal prosecutor for the nation’s capital had "choked" and "folded like an umbrella."

While Trump did not respond directly to questions about Pirro’s future, the president said he was disappointed with the former Fox News host’s conclusion that the damage to the national monument was the result of shoddy construction, not vandalism.

What they're saying:

"Frankly, I think she choked because the judge was really vicious. Instead of going after the people that did it, the judge went after her and went after her department, and I guess she choked," Trump said. "I don’t know what the hell happened."

Pirro, for her part, has not made a statement publicly since Trump’s post over the weekend in which he wrote, "I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro." 

The Associated Press reported she was seen entering the White House on Monday evening, as was Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who has defended the president’s assertion that the Reflecting Pool was vandalized.

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Trump also appeared to attempt to put more distance between himself and the Reflecting Pool project after saying in April that he talked to three firms and picked one that had done work at one of his golf courses. That company, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, was given a $14.7 million no-bid contract to repaint and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor. 

On Monday, Trump said, "I didn’t know the contractor." He went on to indicate that the work had been hurried so that the pool would be ready for Independence Day, explaining that "I’m not saying that I was 100% thrilled with the contractor, but the contractor was rushing. We wanted to get it open for July 4th."

What's next:

The Reflecting Pool has since been drained and crews have started another round of repairs. The White House did not say how long these repairs would take or how much they would cost, but the Trump administration did not seek new bids from other companies before work started, The Associated Press reported. Trump said Monday that he expected the pool to reopen in the next week and a half to two weeks.