Trump accused of 'covering up' Reflecting Pool's 'botched' renovation as Democrats open probe into prosecution of ex-Olympian

By BREANNE DEPPISCH, US SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 17:04, 12 August 2026 | Updated: 17:12, 12 August 2026 President Donald Trump's administration is being investigated for his 'botched' renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool amid ongoing legal drama and vandalism claims. Trump's US Attorney for DC, ex-Fox host Jeanine Pirro, brought, and subsequently dismissed, criminal charges against three-time Olympian David Hearn, 67, accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool. Now, Democrats are probing whether DOJ knowingly proceeded with a ‘bogus’ indictment against the Olympian - and whether Trump pressured Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to ‘retaliate’ against the individual. The House Judiciary Committee's top Democrat, Jamie Raskin, is demanding communications related to the damaged Reflecting Pool lining.  The effort comes after Pirro moved to dismiss felony vandalism charges against Hearn late last month, angering Trump.  Prosecutors cited the lack of evidence against Hearn, as well as ‘newly released documents’ from the Interior Department that they said shed light on the true nature of the damage.  The filing acknowledged that the damage to the Reflecting Pool’s lining was, in fact, the result of a ‘hasty’ and ‘botched’ installation aimed at completing a project by the Trump administration’s July 4 deadline, rather than the work of intentional vandalism.  The motion to dismiss was an abrupt about-face from the Trump administration - and from Pirro, who claimed for weeks that federal prosecutors had ‘tremendous evidence’ that Hearn vandalized the Reflecting Pool and caused more than $1,000 in estimated damages. President Donald Trump looks on as Jeanine Pirro, the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, speaks at the White House  Fencing surrounds the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC, amid claims of 'vandalism'  Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland speaks to reporters as he exits the US Capitol in Washington, DC  Hearn had been charged with malicious destruction of property, and could have faced up to 10 years in prison had the case not been dropped. But Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are unsatisfied with that conclusion - and are demanding answers from Pirro and Burgum to determine who knew what, and when. ‘Did the United States Attorney’s Office for DC in fact maliciously prosecute an American citizen it knew to be innocent with a felony charge carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison?’ the panel’s ranking Democrat, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, said in a letter his office sent to Pirro and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. ‘Did the U.S. Department of the Interior … deliberately mislead prosecutors to cover up a ‘botched’ renovation by a company awarded a dubious $15 million insider no-bid contract?’ Crews are seen removing algae from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool following a directive from Trump President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are seen on a tour of the East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, DC  Raskin also noted that court documents show DOJ apparently had been made aware that the newly installed pool liner was already peeling 'more than a week' before Hearn’s arrest, though prosecutors claimed later that Interior officials failed to provide that evidence to prosecutors until after his indictment, raising additional questions about the timing of the case.  ‘At a minimum, it appears that members of the Trump Administration were ready and willing to imprison an innocent American for a decade in a desperate effort to soothe an ex-landlord’s wounded ego about a terrible paint job and wasteful contract,’ Raskin said in a press release this week. ‘We must get to the bottom of these murky waters to rid our justice system of any and all residual contamination,' he added.  The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment on the probe.