Witness testimony undercuts Trump administration's Reflecting Pool vandalism case
Key Takeaways
- •A grand jury witness reportedly said the Reflecting Pool area was already damaged and needed repairs regardless of any alleged vandalism.
- •David "Davey" Hearn has pleaded not guilty in the case involving damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
- •The dispute hinges on whether the pool’s deterioration was caused by vandalism or by preexisting conditions.
- •After renovations, the pool developed a severe algae bloom and its protective lining began to break down during efforts to control it.
- •The Trump administration claimed vandals caused a 350-foot gash, but no such gash was found when the pool was drained for inspection.
The Trump administration’s prosecution of an Olympic canoeist accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is already falling apart.
According to NBC News, a witness before the grand jury in the case against David "Davey" Hearn "testified that the area was already damaged and would have required repairs regardless," according to lawyers who referred to the testimony in a court filing Monday.
The account could significantly undermine the Trump-appointed prosecutors’ claim that Hearn, who has pleaded not guilty, was responsible for the damage to the monument, especially since the case appears to hinge on whether the deterioration was caused by vandalism or by conditions that were already present.
The Reflecting Pool renovation was intended to be one of President Donald Trump’s signature beautification projects in Washington, D.C., where he has sought to leave his mark across the city, from a massive White House ballroom to a "Victory Arch" located just across the Potomac.
Almost immediately after the renovations were completed, the pool was hit by a severe algae bloom that became a focal point for anti-Trump protesters, and the pool’s protective lining began to disintegrate as maintenance workers used hydrogen peroxide in an effort to control the algae.
As the damage became visible, the Trump administration blamed a supposed 350-foot "gash" in the pool that it said had been deliberately caused by vandals. But that account has increasingly come into question, and no such gash was found when the pool was drained for inspection.