WASHINGTON -- President Trump sharply criticized Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, for dropping charges over alleged vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying she "folded like an umbrella."
Trump and his allies have insisted for months that vandals were to blame for damage to the bottom of the reflecting pool, which his administration had resurfaced ahead of America's 250th birthday. Pirro initially agreed until last week when she moved to dismiss the charges and blamed a "botched installation" during the renovation for damage to the pool.
"Jeanine Pirro made a mistake. It was vandalism," Trump said in the Oval Office on Monday. The president said he "was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro...She folded like an umbrella. And people get away with things. It's a disgrace."
Trump and Pirro have a long history. Pirro has been a longtime and unwavering defender of the president, previously using her show on Fox News to advocate for him, including during controversies in his first term when he faced impeachment. In one of his final acts in his first term, Trump pardoned her ex-husband, Albert Pirro, who was convicted in 2000 on federal conspiracy and tax evasion charges.
Pirro was installed into her position last year, first as the acting U.S. attorney. She was later confirmed by the Senate.
Trump didn't respond to questions asking if Pirro should remain in her position. He acknowledged that he wasn't happy with the contractors who had rushed to finish coating the pool in time for celebrations tied to July 4 and the country's 250th birthday.
"Now, I'm not saying I was 100% thrilled with the contractor, but the contractor was rushing," Trump said. "We wanted to get it open for July 4th, and we got it done -- but, in addition, there was vandalism."
The government awarded a contract to a Virginia-based company, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, without a full bidding process. The $16 million project became a national controversy when the pool bottom began to peel and algae blooms turned the pool from blue to green.
Pirro initially said there was "a violent effort to rip up the sealant from the bottom of the pool," and her office secured an indictment against David Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, for felony for destruction of government property. The charge carried a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
On Friday, Pirro's office pointed to documents from the Interior Department that "significantly undermine" the evidence that was the basis for charging Hearn.
Her office wrote in the court filing that a "visual inspection showed damage throughout the Reflecting Pool, even in the middle of the pool, where a vandal wouldn't likely attempt to peel the lining. Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism."
Three other people were charged with misdemeanors for allegedly damaging the pool. Cameron Thiers, Sophie Dennison-Gibby and Justin Carreno were arrested at the pool on June 20, a day after Hearn, according to court records. As of Monday, the court's public docket showed the government had dropped all three cases.
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