Trump meets with Pirro after criticizing her handling of Reflecting Pool case

Trump met with Jeanine Pirro at the White House after publicly attacking her decision to drop the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool case. The president had said Pirro had “choked” and “folded like an umbrella” after her office moved to dismiss the charges.

The Justice Department dropped the case against former Olympian David Hearn on July 31, saying the damage to the Reflecting Pool was likely caused by a “botched installation” or “flawed installation” by a contractor rather than vandalism. Prosecutors said it was “difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.” The dispute centered on a site that had undergone a nearly $14 million renovation, after which algae began forming in the pool.

Trump did not embrace that explanation. He later acknowledged there may have been “some contractor difficulty,” but he still said he disagreed with Pirro’s decision. Pirro, his handpicked U.S. attorney for Washington, was forced to answer for a case that had collided with the president's own version of events.

After Hearn’s case was dropped, three other people charged in connection with the Reflecting Pool matter also had their charges dismissed. Court documents said the damage was now believed to be the result of “botched” repairs.