Pirro Drops Pool Charges, Drawing Trump's Ire Over $16M Renovation

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro dropped felony vandalism charges against former Olympian David Hearn on Friday, blaming a botched $16 million pool renovation and drawing President Trump's public rebuke that she "choked."

"The Trump administration's case against Davey Hearn should have never been brought," Hearn's attorneys, including Norm Eisen, said in a statement. "Its dismissal does not erase the abuse of government power in arresting and charging a patriotic American who did nothing wrong."

Pirro's office filed a 19-page motion to dismiss the case without prejudice, citing newly obtained Interior Department documents showing "a rushed and flawed installation process" by contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which was paid more than $14.6 million. The filing said damage appeared "throughout the Reflecting Pool, even in the middle of the pool, where a vandal would not likely attempt to peel the lining." Prosecutors also dropped misdemeanor charges against three others — Justin Carreno, Sophie Dennison-Gibby and Cameron Thiers — accused of similar damage.

The reversal has imperiled Pirro's position after more than a year of eagerly pursuing cases favored by the president. Trump said Pirro "choked" and "folded like an umbrella," and CNN reported he is considering removing her as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Pirro met with Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum at the White House on Monday, where she accused Burgum of misleading the president, according to people familiar with the meeting.

Hearn, 67, a three-time Olympic white-water canoe racer, was arrested June 19 after stopping by the pool during a bike ride. He faced one felony count of property destruction that carried a potential 10-year prison sentence and a $1,000 fine. He pleaded not guilty and said the pool's condition "was the same after I stepped away from the water as it was before I got there."

The case was part of a broader crackdown on alleged vandalism at the pool, which Trump had pushed to renovate ahead of America's 250th birthday celebrations on July 4. The $16 million project, awarded to Atlantic Industrial Coatings through a no-bid process, was plagued by peeling paint and algae almost immediately after completion. Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals, including one he said used a boxcutter to make a more than 300-foot gash in the pool.

Interior Department Under Fire

Pirro's filing pinned blame on the Interior Department for providing "less than fulsome information" at the outset of the case, saying the agency's "failure to fully and accurately provide information" undermined prosecutors' ability to meet their legal obligations. The filing included a June 11 email from a National Park Service engineer warning that overspray of the new pool coating could create a strip "vulnerable to peeling" — the exact area Hearn was accused of damaging.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has pushed back, saying on social media that "the evidence is clear, vandals have repeatedly caused damage to the Reflecting Pool." He said his department provided eyewitness testimony and every piece of evidence Pirro's office requested.

What's Next for Pirro

Trump didn't fire Pirro or ask her to resign during Monday's meeting, but people close to the president said it is too early to say whether her job is safe. Pirro's office is also handling the prosecutions of the alleged gunmen behind the fatal shootings last year of Israeli embassy staffers and a National Guard member, along with the suspect charged with attempting to assassinate Trump earlier this year at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Hearn's attorneys are seeking to have the case dismissed with prejudice, which would prevent prosecutors from refiling. Attorney Steven Levin said Hearn is "considering all options," including civil suits, bar referrals for the prosecutors involved, and requests for investigations by Congress.

The political fallout carries no direct market implications, but it shows the fragility of personnel decisions within the administration. Pirro, who has offered prosecutors in her office a $25,000 retention bonus to stay for the next two years, faces an uncertain future as Trump weighs whether his longtime ally's decision to undercut him publicly is a firing offense.

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