President Donald Trump claimed Sunday that a “highly credible” witness observed former Olympian David Hearn “violently” vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, just days after the federal government formally dismissed its case against Hearn.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the witness was a longtime National Park Service employee who allegedly saw Hearn damaging the Reflecting Pool in broad daylight.
“ALERT: A National Park Service career employee, a highly credible witness, saw David Hearn (ActBlue) in broad daylight vandalize the Reflecting Pool by ‘violently’ ripping and tugging at the Pool’s somewhat delicate coating,” Trump wrote.
The president went on to say the National Park Service employee provided testimony to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in early July.
Trump also alleged that additional damage occurred at the site beyond what he said the witness observed.
According to the president, an acid-like substance was used on newly installed grass adjacent to the Reflecting Pool, where the letters “86 47” were allegedly written.
Trump suggested the phrase was “probably gotten from James Comey.”
The president further claimed there was additional damage to the Reflecting Pool that could not be directly attributed because no video evidence exists.
“There was substantial other damage to the Reflecting Pool, also but, unfortunately, there is no video or proof, other than the damage, itself,” Trump wrote.
Trump also said repairs to the Reflecting Pool are continuing and that the site will reopen soon.
He acknowledged that some of the damage stemmed from work performed during construction, saying a contractor made mistakes while rushing to complete the project before a July 4 opening.
According to Trump, that construction-related issue affected only a small portion of the large project.
“As with many jobs, there was also some contractor error done by rushing the job for a July 4th opening, but it was a very small area of this massive Pool, and was relatively inconsequential,” he wrote.
The president also said security cameras have been installed and that additional cameras are being added.
Trump’s latest comments come shortly after the Justice Department dropped its case against Hearn.
Hearn’s attorney, Norm Eisen, shared a copy of the formal dismissal after U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro acknowledged that federal prosecutors had initially relied on information provided by the Department of the Interior.
According to the dismissal, the Justice Department originally proceeded based on claims that “the damage was caused entirely by vandals, including [Hearn].”
Pirro later wrote that after the indictment was filed, the Interior Department supplied additional documents indicating “the damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism as initially represented by DOI.”
Trump publicly criticized Pirro’s decision to dismiss the case.
The president said Pirro “choked” and “folded like an umbrella” by dropping the prosecution.
Following Trump’s criticism, speculation emerged that Pirro could lose her position because of the president’s anger over the decision.
Although the charges were dismissed, Pirro filed the motion “without prejudice,” meaning prosecutors retain the ability to bring the case again in the future.
Seeking to prevent that possibility, Hearn’s attorney filed a 28-page motion last week asking the court to make the dismissal permanent.
The dispute over the Reflecting Pool case continues even after the charges were dropped, with Trump maintaining that a credible witness saw Hearn vandalize the site while Hearn’s legal team seeks a permanent end to the prosecution.
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