Trump Publicly Orders His Own U.S. Attorney to 'Re-Visit' the Vandalism Cases Her Office Found Baseless

Trump urged U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Aug. 7, 2026 to reinstate charges against people accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, writing on Truth Social that she should re-visit her hastily made decision and that people are reporting pure vandalism at the pool. Pirro's office had said in court filings that the damage resulted from a flawed installation by the contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings and a rush to finish the work before America 250 events, and that the Interior Department had misled her office into believing the defendants caused nearly all of the damage. A D.C. judge dismissed the case against the most prominent defendant, former Olympian David Hearn, on Aug. 6.

The exchange places a president in the position of publicly directing a specific charging decision by his own U.S. attorney after her office concluded on the record that the evidence did not support it.

The reflecting pool renovation cost the government nearly $15 million under a no-bid contract. Defense lawyers have asked that misdemeanor charges against three other defendants also be dismissed. Trump said earlier in the week that Pirro had choked.