Trump publicly rebukes U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for dropping Reflecting Pool vandalism charges, insists damage was vandalism despite court evidence

President Trump sharply criticized his hand-picked U.S. Attorney for D.C., Jeanine Pirro, after her office filed a motion to dismiss felony vandalism charges against former Olympian David Hearn. In the court filing, Pirro stated that new evidence from the Interior Department showed damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool resulted from a 'botched installation' by a contractor, not vandalism. Trump publicly accused Pirro of having 'choked' under pressure from a judge and 'folded like an umbrella,' insisting 'everybody saw the vandalism' and that she made a mistake. The rebuke came hours before Pirro reportedly brought a box of evidence to the Oval Office in an attempt to convince the president of the facts, underscoring Trump's willingness to pressure his own appointees to align with his preferred narrative over documented evidence.

“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.” Quote verified against source