President Trump Disputes Justice Department Findings on Reflecting Pool Vandalism

President Donald Trump has publicly disagreed with his own Justice Department after federal prosecutors moved to drop a vandalism case involving the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. In a court filing submitted on Friday, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Spence asked a judge to dismiss charges against David Hearn, a 67 year old former Olympian. The government had previously accused Hearn of intentionally damaging the pool.

The dispute follows a 14.7 million dollar renovation of the pool, which Trump had coated in a blue paint he called American Flag Blue. Shortly after the project was completed in June, the pool developed algae blooms that turned the water green and the blue lining began to peel. While Trump repeatedly blamed vandals for sabotaging the project, the Justice Department stated that documents from the Department of the Interior indicated the damage was caused by a rushed and flawed installation process.

Trump responded on Truth Social by stating he disagreed 100 percent with Pirro. He argued that while there may have been contractor difficulties, the major damage was caused by vandals. To support his claim, Trump shared a U.S. Park Police video that he asserted showed vandalism taking place. However, reports note it is unclear if the individuals in the clip were causing damage or simply removing pieces of lining that had already peeled. Pirro's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.