Trump wrong on Reflecting Pool damage, US prosecutor says

Prosecutors have dropped charges against a former Olympic athlete accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool at the National Mall in Washington D.C. The decision directly contradicts President Donald Trump's assertion that the damage was an act of 'leftist vandalism.'

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poor construction by the contractor and rushed work by the Interior Department

David Hunt, a three-time Olympic canoeist for the U.S., had been arrested in June on felony charges for allegedly damaging the pool's coating. Hunt maintained he only touched already peeling coating, but prosecutors pursued the case, taking it to a grand jury within a month.

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he only touched already peeling coating

However, U.S. Attorney for D.C. J.P. (Jeanine Pirro) concluded in a court filing that the damage stemmed from "poor construction by the contractor" and "rushed work by the Interior Department" to meet the deadline for America's 250th-anniversary celebration. Pirro stated that initial information from the Interior Department was insufficient, and a full review of evidence showed Hunt could not be proven guilty.

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It was perfect vandalism.

This reversal is a blow to Trump, who had directed the $16 million renovation of the Reflecting Pool. He had repeatedly blamed 'leftist vandalism' for the peeling coating and algae growth that appeared shortly after the project's completion. The New York Times noted that the Justice Department's credibility has been repeatedly undermined by such cases, where grand juries have rejected prosecution requests.

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Trump’s anger at Pirro stems from her admission that the cause of the damage was Trump’s own shoddy remodeling work, not Hunt.