Trump's flagship DC project - and the rare admission: 'Not vandalism, the renovation was botched and rushed'
The US Justice Department dropped the case against David Hearn, a former Olympic rower, who was accused of vandalizing the Reflection Pool in Washington. The prosecutor admitted that a rushed and botched installation by the contractor, not vandalism, caused the damage. President Trump, who promoted the renovation costing about $16 million, had previously claimed that 'lunatics from the far left' vandalized the pool. Hearn's lawyers demand an apology from the administration.
The US Justice Department admitted that a faulty installation, not vandalism, caused the peeling of the new coating on the Reflection Pool in Washington, a symbol of the capital. As a result, the criminal case against David Hearn (67) of Maryland, a former Olympic canoe rower, who was arrested in June on suspicion of vandalizing the pool, was closed. Federal prosecutor Janine Pirro and her deputy Michael Spence asked the court to dismiss the indictment, writing that information uncovered by the Interior Department indicates that a rushed and botched installation by the main contractor caused the damage. They claimed that the Interior Department responded to information requests 'in a slow drip.' Hearn pleaded not guilty and claimed he touched coating that was already partially detached. His lawyers said the administration owes him an apology. The Reflection Pool, built in the 1920s, stretches nearly 620 meters between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. The renovation, costing about $16 million, was done ahead of the US 250th anniversary. Trump previously claimed that 'lunatics from the far left' vandalized the pool. The contracts were awarded without bidding to two companies, one of which belongs to Trump donor John J. Cafaro, who was convicted of bribery.