Jeanine Pirro announces charges against former Olympian, spars with reporter over evidence

Fox News host-turned U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, on Thursday got into a heated exchange when pressed on proof that a former Olympic canoeist vandalised the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool last month. As Pirro announced the charges against U.S. Olympian David "Davey" Hearn, a reporter asked her what proof the prosecutors had on the culprit, leading to a shouting match between the two.  

Hearn, 67, a three-time Olympic canoeist, was arrested last month for reaching into the water after Trump's $16 million renovations to the Reflecting Pool. He was subsequently arrested on June 19 and charged with misdemeanor destruction of government property, after he jumped in to feel a flap of detached "American flag blue" liner. Attorney Jeanine Pirro told a press conference that Hearn had caused $1,000 worth of damages, after which a reporter asked how she planned to prove that. "With an expert," Pirro said. "With his bare hands?" the reporter asked again. "We believe it's his bare hands, both hands," Pirro replied, raising her voice. They then asked if the pool had been damaged before, which seemingly irritated Pirro as she nearly yelled, "He damaged it! He damaged the pool!" 

Earlier in the conference, Pirro claimed that Hearn committed a "deliberate act to damage the reflecting pool at the National Mall that members of the National Park Service actually have worked hard to restore." She announced the felony charge against him, and he now faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted in the District of Columbia Superior Court, as per CNBC. 

Pirro was pressed again when a reporter compared Hearn's act to that of those who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but were pardoned by President Donald Trump for their crimes. "How do you square charging this individual when there were over 1,000 Jan 6 rioters pardoned who caused millions of dollars in damages?" the off-camera reporter asked. "You really talking about January 6?" she asked while chuckling. She then added: "I'm not. Okay. Who's next?" as she moved on. 

Trump has long blamed vandals for the peeling of newly applied coating on the bottom of the pool and for causing a record algae bloom that turned the pool's water green. However, Hearn's attorneys said in a statement that he is innocent and that the "indictment reflects the administration's effort to shift blame for their own failures." The former Olympian had previously told the BBC that he did not damage the pool and was detained at the edge of the pool while he was finishing a long bike ride. 

He shared that he had been curious about the state of the pool, and he barely touched the lining that was already damaged. "I didn't destroy, rip, tear, peel, or remove any part," he told the publication. He called his arrest "arbitrary, capricious prosecution" last month after the news broke. "Davey Hearn is innocent. These charges are outrageous and should be alarming to every American," his attorneys said on Thursday, responding to the indictment.