Trump accuses Jeanine Pirro of 'folding' by dropping reflecting pool charges

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday accused U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro of "folding like an umbrella" over her decision to drop charges against a former Olympian accused of damaging the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Trump, who nominated Pirro for the interim U.S. attorney post in Washington, D.C., last year, with Senate confirmation in August, said he was "disappointed" and that she "choked" under pressure from a "vicious" judge.

Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office, Trump suggested that Pirro had failed to pursue the case properly, instead being intimidated by the judge overseeing the vandalism matter. When asked whether he was reconsidering her role, Trump refused to answer and dismissed the reporter as "fake news," telling them not to speak again.

The controversy stems from the Justice Department's decision last Friday to dismiss the criminal case against David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist and one of seven people charged in connection with what Trump claimed were attempts to vandalize the $15 million renovation of the reflecting pool. Hearn had faced a felony property destruction charge carrying up to 10 years in prison and a $1,000 fine. He had pleaded not guilty.

According to the Justice Department, damage to the pool liner was "the result of flawed installation by the contractor." Pirro's office said it received documents from the Interior Department only "after the return of the indictment," which showed the pool was already damaged before Hearn entered the water on June 19. A motion by government lawyers noted that the documents "indicated a rushed and flawed installation process, with repeated failures of the lining during installation and extensive peeling of the lining throughout the Reflecting Pool."

Trump's public criticism on Monday followed his Truth Social post over the weekend in which he disagreed "100%" with Pirro, calling the incident "a pure case of VANDALISM." A person familiar with the matter told CNN that Trump is "furious" with Pirro and that it is "highly likely" she will be removed from her job. A senior administration official added that Trump was "blindsided" by Pirro's decision, saying he did not know beforehand that she was going to take that action.