Trump again rebukes Jeanine Pirro over reflecting pool ‘vandalism’ case

President Donald Trump has publicly rebuked Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, for her office's dismissal of vandalism charges connected to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.

Trump asserted that significant vandalism occurred, directly contradicting Pirro's assessment. "She said there was no vandalism. There was tremendous vandalism," Trump told NBC News. "So, she made a terrible mistake. I don’t understand why she did such a stupid thing."

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She said there was no vandalism. There was tremendous vandalism. So, she made a terrible mistake. I don’t understand why she did such a stupid thing.

Pirro's office had moved to dismiss charges against a former Olympian and three others involved in incidents at the reflecting pool. In a court filing, her office argued that the damage to the pool's concrete bottom resulted from a "botched" renovation, not intentional vandalism. The $15 million renovation project itself had been plagued by issues attributed to flawed installation by the contractor.

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I think she made a terrible decision. That doesn’t mean change.

When asked about potentially replacing Pirro, Trump indicated he had not made a decision but reiterated his strong disapproval of her actions. The situation reportedly led to a tense Oval Office meeting involving Trump, Pirro, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, during which Pirro allegedly accused Burgum of misleading the president regarding the renovation, which was awarded without a competitive bidding process.

Earlier, Trump had accused Pirro of "folding like an umbrella" after the Justice Department dropped the felony property destruction charge against David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist. Hearn faced potential prison time for touching peeling coating on the pool. Hearn's lawyers stated the case should never have been brought and demanded an apology from the administration, noting that "all options are on the table" for legal action against those involved.

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Frankly, I think she choked.