President Donald Trump left a 67-year-old Olympian with a charge on his public record for Authorities arrested David Hearn last month for allegedly damaging the renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The federal government awarded an estimated $14 million to $16 million in no-bid contra cts at the president’s request. The work focused on upgrades near the National Mall. President Donald Trump pushed for “vandals” to be prosecuted for damage done to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images) Trump, 80, blamed “vandals” after the damage from the “American flag blue” paint he ordered began to surface. The installation came months after crews added the “Nano Bubble” water purification system earlier this year Within days of the initial restoration being complete in June, it became a national embarrassment. The blue coating started peeling off the pool’s floor. Trump faced more embarrassment when large algae blooms turned the water in the Reflecting Pool a murky green hue. It became a legal matter when three-time U.S. Olympic swimmer David Hearn (1992, 1996, 2000) and others were arrested on federal destruction of property charges. On June 19, Hearn rode his bicycle to the Lincoln Memorial. Authorities reportedly detained Hearn for five hours after he touched a piece of the detached coating. Fencing went up around the Reflecting Pool shortly after. “I didn’t remove, tear, rip, break or destroy any of it,” he told NBC News in June. “The condition of the Reflecting Pool was the same after I stepped away from the water as it was before I got there.” At the time, Hearn’s attorney, Norm Eisen, accused the Trump administration of targeting innocent people. He claimed officials used the criminal justice system as a form of distraction. At the time, Hearn’s attorney, Norm Eisen, accused the Trump administration of wrongfully “using the criminal justice system.” He alleged that officials targeted “innocent people as a form of distraction.” Washington’s Reflecting Pool was given a blue waterproof liner as part of a renovation reported to cost about $16 million. Five days after reopening, the water had begun turning green as algae returned. The pool has now been drained again, with sections of the liner appearing… pic.twitter.com/ssKup43XaR— Architecture Hub (@archpng) July 18, 2026 Hearn pleaded not guilty on the single charge earlier this month. His legal team has now demanded that the court dismiss the case entirely. DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman oversaw a hearing in the nation’s capital on July 20 before scheduling a Sept. 28 trial date.  Hearn’s lawyers argued this week that the government failed to preserve key evidence from the Reflecting Pool. Search warrant photos show “identical damage” to the pool’s liner before Hearn touched it. After backlash over the failed renovation, crews drained the Reflecting Pool again in July for more repairs. Hearn centered his dismissal request on claims that the Interior Department’s second draining damaged the alleged crime scene. A military officer has joined in on the inspection of the Reflecting Pool. NPS staff are ripping up big sections where damage has occurred. pic.twitter.com/2bjME1YJRF— Andrew Leyden (@PenguinSix) July 20, 2026 On July 8, the defense sent prosecutors a written letter demanding the preservation of all physical evidence in the case. But the administration still started draining the pool again. Court documents state, “The government’s failure to preserve this evidence, in the face of an express demand no less, has destroyed Mr. Hearn’s ability to collect evidence material to his defense.” Judge Edelman reportedly warned federal prosecutors they repaired the pool at their “own peril.” Despite that warning, the judge ruled against Hearn’s motion to dismiss without prejudice. This means he can refile if additional proof backs up their claims that the feds destroyed evidence. The defense plans to bring in an expert to examine the area surrounding the Reflecting Pool in the coming days. As of July 20, crews still have not removed the fencing Trump placed around the Reflecting Pool. Officials have not said when they will take it down. “Who ever owns the fencing company in DC is making a killing. The whole city will be fenced off soon. Maybe the entire state,” said one person. View on Threads “Still don’t see a 300-foot gash,” wrote one skeptic, while another asked, “Wtf is even happening here?” Meanwhile, many social media users are not buying the federal government’s criminal accusations against Hearn.  One Facebook user wrote, “Those charges will stick as well as that coating.” A second commenter expressed, “This is ridiculous.” One individual suggested, “When he is acquitted, which he will be, I hope he sues for defamation.” U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges of damaging the Reflecting Pool at the base of the Washington Monument. pic.twitter.com/vTlvBMNgOi— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 9, 2026 Hearns did receive some support. One person wrote, “Shouldn’t even be going to trial, but looks from this shot like Hearn has Norm Eisen on his legal team. LOL, too bad for you, Pirro. A real lawyer is present. U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro, the Trump-appointed former Fox News host, is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the District of Columbia. Pirro, 75, warned in June that anyone who vandalized or tried to vandalize the Reflecting Pool would face prosecution. “Anyone who is in a position of vandalizing or attempting to vandalize the Reflecting Pool will face the criminal justice system in DC,” she said on Fox News. Trump repeatedly blamed “vandals” for a supposed 250-foot to 300-yard gash in the pool floor. He has not provided evidence that vandalism caused the damage. “Six people have been arrested, and seven people have been cited, for the damage they did to our Country’s now beautiful Reflecting Pool,” he wrote on Truth Social. He added, “In any event, even prior to fixing those areas, the Reflecting Pool is as beautiful as it can be.” Time will tell if Trump’s latest Reflecting Pool renovations hurt the federal government’s case. Prosecutors are trying to hold Hearn and other defendants responsible for the “American flag blue” debacle. ‘Hope He Sues’: Trump’s Reflecting Pool Case Against Three-Time Olympian Takes Stunning Turn After Key Evidence Potentially Vanishes ...read more read less