Charges Against Remaining Reflecting Pool Case Defendants Dropped Despite Trump Complaints

Aug 04, 2026 03:14 PM - 2 hours ago 2

Topline

Federal prosecutors dropped charges against the 3 remaining defendants who were accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, aggregate outlets reported connected Monday night, contempt President Donald Trump’s anger complete the earlier determination to driblet criminal charges against erstwhile Olympian David Hearn connected the aforesaid issue.

A visitant takes a photograph complete a information obstruction of the drained Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

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Key Facts

According to CBS News, prosecutors from U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro's agency revenge to disregard 3 misdemeanor charges against group accused of damaging the excavation aft Trump’s arguable renewal efforts.

Citing D.C. Superior Court filings, CBS reported that the 3 people, Justin Carreno, Sophie Dennison-Gibby, and Cameron Thiers, had been accused of destroying spot weighted astatine little than $1,000.

The Washington Post besides reported that charges against the 3 remaining defendants were dropped and noted that Carreno was fired from his occupation arsenic a authorities contractor arsenic a consequence of the case.

Carreno’s lawyer told CBS that the authorities “literally fabricated a crime” and his customer is exploring each ineligible options arsenic he had to move homes aft his firing.

Dennison-Gibby’s lawyer told USA Today that his customer was “relieved” but had antecedently been “terrified” aft Trump publically described the defendants arsenic “sick group who faced jailhouse time.”

Key Background

Late past week, the DOJ dropped its criminal lawsuit against David Hearn, a Maryland resident and erstwhile canoiest who represented the U.S. astatine 3 summertime Olympic games from 1992 to 2000. Hearn had been accused by national prosecutors of “forcefully and violently” ripping parts of the reflecting pool’s renovated floors. The lawsuit was revenge aft Trump responded to disapproval astir the pool’s aboveground peeling disconnected by alleging, without publically sharing evidence, that the harm to the excavation was the consequence of vandalism. Hearn had pleaded not blameworthy to felony demolition of spot charges. On Friday, prosecutors from Pirro’s agency revenge a mobility to driblet the charges, noting that the grounds made disposable to them by the Department of the Interior showed that the harm was the consequence of a “rushed and flawed installation” process involving the pool’s lining.

How Has Trump Reacted To The Dropping Of The Cases?

After the lawsuit against Hearn was dropped, Trump doubled down connected his vandalism claims connected Truth Social and wrote: “I disagree 100% pinch Jeanine Pirro…, connected the Reflecting Pool. I don’t cognize what she was thinking? To me, it was a axenic lawsuit of VANDALISM.” The president acknowledged that “there whitethorn person been immoderate contractor difficulty,” but insisted that the mostly of the harm was caused by vandals without citing immoderate evidence. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum backed the president’s claims and tweeted that his agency provided master and eyewitness grounds and shared “every portion of grounds they asked for…detailing each area of harm astatine the pool.” On Monday, Trump went disconnected connected Pirro erstwhile again while speaking to reporters astatine the White House. He said the erstwhile Fox News big “choked” and “folded for illustration an umbrella,” adding he was “really disappointed” pinch her determination to driblet the lawsuit against Hearn. Trump has not yet commented connected the remaining cases being dismissed arsenic well.