{"id":4972,"date":"2026-07-02T22:41:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T22:41:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/07\/02\/us-olympian-indicted-after-trump-alleged-vandalism-at-dc-reflecting-pool\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T22:41:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T22:41:46","slug":"us-olympian-indicted-after-trump-alleged-vandalism-at-dc-reflecting-pool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=4972","title":{"rendered":"US Olympian indicted after Trump alleged \u2018vandalism\u2019 at DC reflecting pool"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"91246eb0-e1f0-41d0-ae63-c2908d19d437\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a man in a canoe navigates whitewater rapids\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/531c8a8c7c56b2b56438b7e866f8a1052de523e9\/0_101_1596_1276\/master\/1596.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"371.76691729323306\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">David Hearn fights through the rapids during his first run in the finals on 18 September 2000, at a stadium in Penrith, Australia.<\/span> Photograph: Koji Sasahara\/AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"91246eb0-e1f0-41d0-ae63-c2908d19d437\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">David Hearn fights through the rapids during his first run in the finals on 18 September 2000, at a stadium in Penrith, Australia.<\/span> Photograph: Koji Sasahara\/AP<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">US Olympian indicted after Trump alleged \u2018vandalism\u2019 at DC reflecting pool<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1gm5ptv\">\n<p>Canoeist David Hearn was arrested in June after touching a peeling piece of liner in the pool from renovation project<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">David Hearn, a three-time US Olympian and canoeist, has been indicted by a grand jury in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/washington-dc\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Washington DC<\/a> after Donald Trump blamed vandals for damaging Washington\u2019s reflecting pool following a $14.7m renovation project.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The \u200cindictment accuses Hearn, 67, \u200cof \u201cmaliciously\u201d breaking or destroying lining material on the bottom of the reflecting pool on 19 June. Lawyers for Hearn denied \u200cthe allegations following his arrest, accusing the \u200bTrump administration of treating ordinary conduct as criminal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for Washington DC, announced the single felony charge against Hearn at a press conference on Thursday, claiming prosecutors had \u201ctremendous evidence\u201d that the Olympian had \u201cforcefully and violently\u201d pulled up and removed the bottom liner in the reflecting pool. According to Pirro, Hearn was \u201cbelligerent\u201d and \u201cdisrespectful\u201d when asked to stop by employees of the National Park Service.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cToday is about accountability for damaging a national resource, a national treasure,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In a statement, Norm Eisen and Mary Dohrmann, lawyers representing Hearn, said he was innocent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cThese charges are outrageous and should be alarming to every American,\u201d they said. \u201cOn the eve of our nation\u2019s Independence Day, Americans should be deeply concerned by the misuse of government power against an ordinary citizen based on a concocted narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The US president ordered a vast renovation to turn the site \u201cAmerican flag blue\u201d in time for the country\u2019s 250th birthday celebrations this weekend. Only days after its completion, however, an algae bloom <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jun\/16\/algae-trump-lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">turned the water green<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Trump has alleged that a 300ft \u201cgash\u201d was cut through the sealant installed by contractors during the renovation. While the president claimed the US federal government would make public photographs and video to substantiate his claims, no such evidence has yet been released.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Hearn was arrested last month on a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property, after noticing a partly detached piece of the blue liner and reaching into the water to see what it felt like.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cI didn\u2019t vandalize anything,\u201d Hearn, who had been cycling, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/nation\/2026\/06\/20\/cyclist-arrested-reflecting-pool-denies-trump-vandalism-claims\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">told the Washington Post<\/a> the following day. \u201cI didn\u2019t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">At the time of his arrest, Hearn had just finished a 52-mile bike ride when he visited the Lincoln Memorial to see the refurbished reflecting pool.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The pool, built in 1922, runs more than 2,000ft between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. Martin Luther King Jr delivered his I Have a Dream speech in front of the reflecting pool in 1963.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Trump had previously claimed the renovation he ordered of the site would be far more successful than those which took place under other presidents. His administration awarded a no-bid contract to a company Trump said had previously done work on swimming pools at one of his golf clubs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/washington-dc\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Washington DC<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/sport\/olympic-games\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Olympic Games<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=US%20Olympian%20indicted%20after%20Trump%20alleged%20%E2%80%98vandalism%E2%80%99%20at%20DC%20reflecting%20pool&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/02\/us-olympian-indicted-trump-vandalism-reflecting-pool?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fjul%2F02%2Fus-olympian-indicted-trump-vandalism-reflecting-pool&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/jul\/02\/us-olympian-indicted-trump-vandalism-reflecting-pool\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-axwinp\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>David Hearn fights through the rapids during his first run in the finals on 18 September 2000, at<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4974,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4972\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}