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Attorneys for former Olympian David Hearn, whose Reflecting Pool vandalism case was dropped by the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office, say President Trump is still pushing a “false version” of the events, bolstering their argument that the government should be blocked from pursuing charges again.
A new court filing Friday, which Hearn’s attorneys filed to petition the D.C. Superior Court to push for the case to be dismissed “with prejudice,” cited recent disparaging comments made by President Trump about the case, which federal prosecutors originally said was vandalism but then later acknowledged “was the result of flawed installation by the contractor.”
Former Olympian David Hearn walks with his attorney Norman Eisen to speak to reporters and protestors gathered after his arraignment at Moultrie Courthouse, July 9, 2026, in Washington, D.C.
Finn Gomez/Getty Images
“The record in this case demonstrates a substantial and specific risk that, if the indictment is dismissed without prejudice, Mr. Hearn will face renewed charges, however meritless, driven by political pressure rather than the evidence,” Hearn’s attorneys said in their filing.
Throughout the filing, Hearn’s attorneys directly cite President Trump’s multiple social media posts and other comments reacting to D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s decision to drop the case.
Despite the charges being dropped and the president acknowledging that there was “some contractor error done by rushing the job for a July 4th opening,” he maintained that there was vandalism and that Pirro made a “mistake” in dropping the case.
Construction crews continue to work on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as seen from a window at the Washington Monument, in Washington, D.C., Aug. 13, 2026.
Nathan Howard/Reuters
Arguing that Trump repeatedly continued to push a “false version” of events — that the damage to the pool was even after Pirro reportedly made her way to the White House with what sources told ABC News was a box full of evidence to support her prosecutors’ conclusion, Hearn’s attorneys say the public pressure amounts to a form of “harassment” that endangers their client’s liberty.
“The public political pressure campaign being conducted through the Executive Branch in this case shows that the government cannot be trusted to properly exercise its prosecutorial discretion,” they said in the filing.
The next hearing in the case has been set for Sept. 4 when a judge will hear arguments on Hearn’s request.
