DOJ Drops Reflecting Pool Vandalism Charge After New Evidence

The Trump administration moved to drop the criminal charge against Olympic canoeist David Hearn for allegedly vandalising the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, acknowledging that the accusations were not substantiated and that the damage appears to have resulted from a rushed, flawed installation rather than vandalism; new documents prompted by the case showed the project’s haste and testing failures contributed to the botched renovation, drawing criticism that prosecutors acted under political pressure, while Hearn’s lawyers called the decision an abuse of government power.