US prosecutors seek dismissal of charges in Reflecting Pool damage case

A US federal prosecutor has asked a court to dismiss charges against a former US canoeing national team athlete accused of damaging Washington's iconic Reflecting Pool. The prosecution's request, submitted in a 20-page document, contradicts the initial stance that the damage was intentional vandalism, a narrative pushed by then-President Donald Trump.

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The damage to the Reflecting Pool was due to poor construction work.

Prosecutors had previously argued that the athlete, David Herne, "forcibly and violently" removed materials from the pool, causing about $1,000 in damage and displaying hostility toward staff who intervened. They asserted that the evidence was clear.

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Herne forcibly and violently removed materials from the pool, causing about $1,000 in damage and displaying hostility toward staff.

However, the prosecution's recent filing concluded that the damage was a result of "poor construction work" by the contractor, who was rushing to complete repairs for the "America 250" celebration. The filing stated that it was difficult to attribute the extensive damage to vandalism and even more difficult to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Our beautiful Reflecting Pool was vandalized, and many people have been arrested in connection with this act of vandalism.

This turn of events leaves federal prosecutors open to criticism for potentially bringing charges under pressure from Trump, who had publicly denounced the incident as "vandalism" and urged arrests. Herne, who maintained he merely touched a peeling coating on the pool's wall while passing on a bicycle and complied with park staff's instructions, has demanded an apology from the Trump administration.

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I merely reached out to examine a peeling coating on the pool's wall while riding my bicycle and briefly touched a piece of the wall.