United States of America

Judge Permanently Tosses Reflecting Pool Case Against Olympian

Is this an innocent man getting rightfully protected or has a sworn eyewitness' case been tossed by a two-tiered justice system?

3 hours ago·Updated 2 hours ago

Judge Permanently Tosses Reflecting Pool Case Against Olympian

Story

Above: The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Sept. 8. Image credit: Finn Gomez/Getty Images

The Facts

A D.C. Superior Court judge dismissed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool vandalism case against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn with prejudice Thursday, barring federal prosecutors from ever refiling the charge.
Axios
The Washington Examiner
The Wall Street Journal
Judge Todd Edelman wrote in a 26-page order that Hearn faced the "unique possibility" that prosecutors would revive a case they had already called meritless because of "political pressure brought by the President of the United States upon his subordinate officers."
NPR
The Hill
Previously, Hearn, 67, was arrested in June and indicted on one felony count of property destruction for allegedly tearing sealant from the pool. He faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted and pleaded not guilty.
The Hill
NPR
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office moved to drop the charge in late July, citing Interior Department and National Park Service reports indicating that the damage resulted from a botched installation of the pool's new lining rather than vandalism.
The Wall Street Journal
NPR
But President Donald Trump said that Pirro "folded like an umbrella" and "choked," and criticized Hearn's donations through ActBlue, as well as defense attorney Norm Eisen. The judge noted that Trump also raised the possibility of firing the U.S. attorney.
The Hill
NBC News
ABC News
At a hearing last month, government lawyers acknowledged that they had no additional evidence and were no longer investigating Hearn. His attorneys called the ruling "a victory for the rule of law and for an innocent American seeking justice."
The Washington Post
The Hill
NBC News

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Anti-Trump narrative

This was a scary situation that luckily turned out well for Hearn. A felony case was built on zero proof of damage, hyped at a press conference and pushed from the top, all to cover up shoddy work by a contractor hired by the president. An apology and a full accounting of how prosecutors got weaponized is the least that's still owed here.

Jamie Raskin on X

Harry Litman on Substack

Common Dreams

Pro-Trump narrative

Judge Edelman is off base here. A witness watched a man tear at the pool's coating in broad daylight and said so under oath. Sloppy contractor work on a small patch doesn't explain acid-burned grass or slogans scrawled across the grounds. Tossing the case for good while Jan. 6 defendants got buried shows exactly how uneven the scales of justice have become.

Mark Mendlovitz on X