DOJ Moves to Dismiss Case After Records Show Defective Lincoln Reflecting Pool Work

Overview

• The Justice Department filed on Friday to dismiss criminal charges against former Olympian David Hearn after Interior and NPS records showed the reflecting pool lining detached because of faulty installation by Atlantic Industrial Coatings and rushed work before America 250.
• A National Park Service engineer emailed on June 11 saying the damage resulted from contractor error, citing an 'excess spraying' during installation that led to repeated detachments along the pool perimeter.
• DOJ prosecutors said the Department of the Interior provided incomplete information early in the case, asked the court to dismiss the indictment without prejudice, and are waiting for a judge to decide whether the charges will be dropped or could be refiled.
• President Trump publicly rejected the prosecutors' move on Truth Social and continued to call the incident vandalism, while Hearn and his lawyers say he only lifted a piece that was already detached and call the prosecution unjustified.
• The filings have prompted calls for oversight into Interior Department communications and the contractor's work and could lead to congressional inquiries or renewed legal action if new evidence emerges.