White House Officials Asked the Justice Department to Consider a New Prosecution of the Olympian It Just Cleared, WSJ Reports

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, Aug. 11, citing people familiar with the discussions, that White House officials asked the Justice Department to consider a new prosecution of former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, and that department officials are informally exploring whether a misdemeanor case is possible. Judge Todd Edelman dismissed the felony Reflecting Pool case the previous week after U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro conceded the damage came from a botched renovation. Pirro sought dismissal without prejudice; Hearn's lawyers asked for dismissal with prejudice, calling the indictment "motivated by political considerations."

White House contact with prosecutors about a named individual's case is the sort of communication Justice Department contacts policies have long restricted, and it follows the president's posts urging Pirro to revisit the matter. Edelman's pending choice between the two forms of dismissal decides whether the government keeps the option to charge Hearn again.

A department spokesperson told the Journal it "follows the evidence." The government's response was due Aug. 18, with a hearing next month.