The Trump administration dropped charges against a former Olympic canoeist on July 31, 2026, alleging damage to the restored Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The Department of Justice acknowledged new evidence showing contractor error was responsible, not the defendant.
The Department of Justice moved on July 31, 2026, to dismiss its felony case against David Hearn, a 67-year-old former U.S. Olympic canoeist, citing a flawed installation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. President Trump publicly rejected the DOJ's decision to drop the prosecution.
The US Justice Department dropped criminal charges against David Hearn, a former Olympian, on July 31, 2026, after evidence showed the damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool resulted from a flawed installation rather than deliberate vandalism.
The US Justice Department dropped its felony indictment against David Hearn on July 31, 2026, after determining that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was caused by contractor negligence during a $14 million renovation, not deliberate vandalism.
On 31 July 2026, federal prosecutors dropped charges against former Olympian David Hearn, acknowledging that the Trump administration's claims of vandalism to the Reflecting Pool were false. Hearn will not face trial.
Federal prosecutors moved on July 31, 2026, to dismiss charges against Olympic canoeist David Hearn, stating that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool following a $14 million renovation was caused by defective sealant installation rather than deliberate destruction.
Former Olympian David Hearn, charged with felony vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, is seeking access to closed-door grand jury testimony, claiming irregularities in the proceedings.