Trump says Jeanine Pirro ‘choked’ in Reflecting Pool vandalism case: ‘Folded like an umbrella’

President Donald Trump said Monday that U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro “choked” in deciding to dismiss the indictment of a former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.“I think she choked because the judge was really vicious,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “Instead of going after the people that did it, the judge went after her and went after her department, and I guess she choked. I don’t know what the hell happened.”Trump has maintained that the problems with the Reflecting Pool following his multimillion-dollar renovation were the result of vandalism and lambasted Pirro for not keeping up the fight. Blue paint peeling from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Thursday, June 18, 2026, in Washington. (Graeme Jennings/Washington Examiner) “Really disappointed with Jeanine Pirro,” Trump said. “She folded like an umbrella, and people get away with things, and it’s a disgrace.”Pirro filed the motion to dismiss the indictment against former Olympian David Hearn on Friday, admitting that the tears in the pool’s liner were the result of “flawed installation by the contractor.” She faulted the Interior Department for not providing her with the full scope of information.PIRRO MOVES TO DISMISS REFLECTING POOL VANDALISM CHARGES AGAINST FORMER OLYMPIAN“It was not until after the return of the indictment, that the DOI provided additional documents to the USAO-DC indicating that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June 2026 was the result of flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings (‘AIC’), and the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026,” the court filing to dismiss the DOJ’s initial indictment reads.The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as seen on Monday, July 13, 2026, in Washington. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced that crews would drain the pool for a second time for repairs and cleanup following months of maintenance problems. (Graeme Jennings/Washington Examiner) In the filing, Pirro conceded that her office “could only rely on information provided by DOI that the damage was entirely caused by vandals, including the defendant in this case,” adding that once she had received all of the information from the interior department, it could not be determined that the damage to the pool was solely due to vandals.Hearn was accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June and was later indicted by a grand jury. He had pleaded not guilty to one felony count of property destruction.