Trump Criticizes Dismissal of Lincoln Memorial Vandalism Case

President Donald Trump heightened his attacks on Sunday over the dismissal of the vandalism case at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. He highlighted a National Park Service employee’s report that alleged former Olympian David Hearn ‘violently’ damaged the pool’s coating before officials arrived.

Trump shared a screenshot from court documents on Truth Social which included interviews with two National Park Service employees. These employees, working on cleaning the Reflecting Pool’s interior, claimed Hearn approached the area, potentially photographing or recording video of the damage.

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One employee, identified as W-1, described Hearn as having knelt and placing his hands into the pool to ‘violently’ rip and tug at a significant part of the coating. The document states that W-1 asked a colleague to call the police, and Hearn reportedly continued his actions until the National Guard arrived.

Trump referenced this testimony to support his stance after federal prosecutors decided to drop the felony charge against Hearn earlier this month. He stated that the account bolsters claims of deliberate damage.

Trump also suggested other incidents around the area involving acid-like substances on the grass, which had recently been laid beside the pool. Despite acknowledging contractor errors, Trump insisted the damage was largely attributable to vandalism.

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Hearn was charged on July 2 for property destruction after U.S. Park Police accused him of pulling on a section of the pool’s coating on June 19. The prosecution later revealed they had received minimal information from the Department of the Interior before deciding to indict.

Documents released post-indictment indicated that some damage was due to poor installation by contractors, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, and urgency to complete the renovations before the America 250 celebration.

Prosecutors acknowledged the new evidence compromised their case against Hearn, making it hard to unquestionably establish his responsibility. They asked for the case to be dismissed without prejudice.

Meanwhile, Hearn’s lawyers argued the charges were inappropriate and maintained their client’s innocence. Trump, nevertheless, maintained that the damage involved more than construction issues, relying on the existing witness accounts as evidence.