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Posted on 08/04/2026 11:59:25 AM PDT by Twotone
President Donald Trump on Monday escalated his criticism of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, accusing one of his longtime allies of “choking” after her office dropped criminal charges against a former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
In the Oval Office, Trump expressed frustration with Pirro, who was appointed U.S. attorney in part because of her close relationship with the president.
“I was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro, really disappointed with Jeanine Pirro. She folded like an umbrella, and people get away with things, and it’s a disgrace,” Trump told reporters.
The president was referring to news that broke Friday, when Pirro’s office determined that the damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool stemmed from faulty construction rather than vandalism. White House reporter Jake Traylor spotted Pirro arriving at the West Wing following Trump’s remarks.
The Daily Wire asked the White House whether Pirro’s job was in jeopardy following Trump’s criticism. The administration referred back to the president’s public comments without offering further clarification.
Pirro moved to drop criminal charges against David Hearn, a former U.S. Olympian, whom prosecutors accused of deliberately damaging the pool during a sweeping renovation project for America’s 250th anniversary. In a motion to dismiss the case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia blamed “flawed installation” by contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings for the damage, admitting that newly produced evidence “undermines the evidentiary basis” for the indictment.
Over the weekend, Trump said he “100%” disagreed with Pirro’s decision in a scathing Truth Social post, and on Monday, he doubled down on his objection while speaking at the White House.
“The judge was extremely unfriendly to Jeanine and, frankly, I think she choked because the judge was really vicious,” Trump said. “Instead of going after the people that did it, the judge went after her and went after her department.”
“I guess she choked. I don’t know what the hell happened,” he added.
It marked a dramatic reversal for Pirro, who had secured a grand jury indictment against the three-time Olympian just weeks earlier, alleging he ripped a piece of sealant from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool with his bare hands. Hearn, 67, was facing a felony count of destruction of property following his. June 19 arrest in the nation’s capital, The Daily Wire previously reported.
Attorneys for Hearn said their client was innocent and that the grand jury charges were “outrageous and should be alarming to every American.”
“This was a deliberate act to damage the Reflecting Pool at the National Mall that members of the National Park Service actually have worked hard to restore,” Pirro said at a July 2 press conference. “We can state and prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he caused damage, and that damage is over $1,000.”
On June 19, Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist, was on a bike ride when he stopped to see the Reflecting Pool after viral reports of algae in the water, describing himself to ABC News as a “curious, concerned citizen.”
That’s when U.S. Park Police warned, then arrested, the former Olympian after he touched a piece of blue coating. Prosecutors say he later tore two square feet of sealant from the bottom of the pool, an account Hearn denies.
“I saw a piece of this loose end of this blue coating … I reached out and touched the end of that piece that was loose but still attached to the bottom,” Hearn told ABC News. “I was able to reach out and touch the edge that was still attached at the bottom and handled it a little bit.”
At the time, federal prosecutors painted a different picture of the incident.
“Our evidence further shows that the National Park Service employees observed Hearn actually forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner with both hands,” Pirro said in July, adding that witnesses described Hearn’s behavior as “belligerent” and “disrespectful.”
The dismissal of the case marks a setback for Trump, who has repeatedly railed against damage and negative publicity surrounding iconic landmarks he has pushed to restore, calling alleged vandals “SICK, DERANGED PEOPLE!”
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Pirro is thick skinned. She will counter punch Trump, justifiably and per her character, but it may not be in public. Then both will kiss and make up.
This is a non issue. This is just Trump being Trump and now Pirro has to do a clean up on aisle 5 over it.
This will be meaningless in 2 weeks. I don’t see any falling out over this. Pirro knows how Trump is. She is not stupid.
Give her flowers and be nice, Mr. President. She is loyal and - more importantly - COMPETENT - unlike those stupid bimbos you used to hire like Alina Habba. She knows when a case is a sure loser.
Even so, to whip a person who has been such a consistent force for good so very publicly, and to do it repeatedly is a bad way to get people to do their best and does more to reflect badly on Trump than anything else.
That’s fine as long as this clean up leads to arrests.
Who’s next, Don Lemon?
I like Judge Jeanine A LOT..Trump needs to let this sh*t go seriously..all over a POOL. Maybe there just wasn’t enough evidence for a conviction, the pool was defective plus maybe they vandalized it but you cant prove it beyond a reasonable doubt
“Olympic canoeist” lol
You are wrong.
Pirro definitely folded.
Put your focus on the behavior of the judge.
Perhaps the president is displeased she’s not engaging in political lawfare....where the process is the punishment.
Yeah but there is NO point in having a trial if the person is acquitted because there is lack of evidence. Judge Jeanine is a seasoned prosecutor, she was a judge, I trust her judgement. If she says there is no case there might not be one. It might have been a mix of vandalism and issues with the pool itself, so it will be hard for any jury to decide who was at fault
This is Trump being Trump. He can’t help it, it’s how he’s built.
I think post 2 has it right.
The President should worry about “choking” on Iran. He had them.
She will be back on The Five next week.
Pirro most likely thought these cases were a certain loss before DC juries. She is probably correct, but there are times when principle demands that a guilty suspect be tried even if the court is biased toward acquittal. The process provides some punishment, and a record of the court’s bias can be established and publicized. A principled DA cannot be afraid to lose cases.
Why is that an LOL? They train just as hard as someone running track or throwing a discus.
It’s still not a sport, but an activity.
There is evidence, though. They have moving cameras of the vandals. Definitely enough to convict at least one person if Pirro didn't fold.
“Yeah but there is NO point in having a trial if the person is acquitted because there is lack of evidence.”
Political lawfare supporters feel otherwise...
Acting Presidential includes avoiding name-calling and insults toward capable and loyal subordinates.
Praise in public, criticize in private.
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