Lawyers for Trump’s Reflecting Pool target ask for DOJ probe into case

Former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn exits the courthouse following his arraignment on at DC Superior Court in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 9, 2026. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

This summer, former Olympian David Hearn found himself in a nightmare, as he was caught up in the highly-publicized drama with Trump’s Reflecting Pool and subsequently found himself wrongfully accused of vandalizing the national landmark.

Fast forward to the present, and although Hearn had the felony charges against him dismissed shortly after, he (via his attorneys) is firing back and asking for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to look deeper into the case.

According to MS Now, per a letter sent to the DOJ and the Interior Department on Tuesday, Oct. 6, Hearn’s legal team shared that the former Olympic canoeist, who participated in the 1992, 1996, and 200 Summer Games, suffered a “nightmare” following his June 19 arrest for vandalism and indictment a few weeks later.

The letter notes that both the DOJ and the Interior Department had knowledge that proved the damage to the Reflecting Pool was due to the widely documented flawed installation process of new pool coating, that was ordered by Trump, and not Hearn.

“From June 19 to the present, gross incompetence, negligence, and misconduct have been committed by personnel in both agencies,” the letter read in part.

“A critical purpose of the requested investigations is to collect the facts … to hold accountable the individuals and groups who failed Mr. Hearn, the criminal justice system and the public,” the attorneys’ document continued.

Additionally, the letter specifically calls for DOJ inspector general Don R. Berthiaume and Interior Department inspector general Caryl Brzymialkiewicz to uphold the ethics of the investigation and called out how the case was handled.

As the Reflecting Pool upgrade fiasco made headlines this summer, Hearns previously stated that he stopped by the pool and put his hand inside the water, only to feel a portion of partially detached coating from the pool’s surface before pulling it out of the water.

However, on July 2, Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, echoed Trump’s widespread and unfounded claims that vandals were the source of the Reflecting Pool renovation disasters.

She accused Hearn of “forcefully and violently” vandalizing the pool and said at the time that prosecutors in the case had proof “beyond a reasonable doubt” he was responsible along with several others who were charged.

Almost a month later, on July 31, Pirro formally dismissed the charges against Hearn and the others, citing at the time that the Interior Department “withheld a full accounting of what happened and acknowledged that this showed Hearn was innocent of the felony vandalism charge,” per MS Now.

Hearn’s attorneys also hurled allegations that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia neglected to share key evidence in the case, such as metadata for photographs, which were a key piece of evidence.

The Attorney’s Office was also criticized with claims that evidence was tampered with when the Reflecting Pool was drained and the liner cut out.

The letter from Hearn’s legal team also acknowledged that the request for a probe “will not be welcomed” by the Trump appointees who made false claims about the former Olympian.

“But the job description of IGs does not include pleasing people at high levels of the government,” the letter said. “In fact, the finest moments of the IG community over the past 48 years have been when it has spoken truth to power, and enforced accountability for waste, fraud, abuse and misconduct.”

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