Federal prosecutors drop Reflecting Pool vandalism charges, blame botched installation

Federal prosecutors dropped vandalism charges against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn and three others on August 3, 2026, over damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool's $14 million lining. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office said newly released Interior Department evidence showed the damage resulted from a "botched installation" by a Trump-selected contractor, not vandalism.