House Judiciary Democrats launch probe into Pirro, Burgum over Reflecting Pool case

House Judiciary Committee Democrats launched an investigation Tuesday into U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro's handling of an investigation into damage to the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial. 

Pirro's office initially brought a felony charge against former Olympian David Hearn that accused him of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool, but later dismissed the charges last month after new information from the Department of the Interior allegedly indicated that damage to the pool was the result of a rushed job.

House Judiciary Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., sent a letter to Pirro and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum seeking communications between their offices and the White House along with documents related to the case, including what was presented to the grand jury that brought the charges.

“How did this debacle happen?" Raskin asked in the letters. "Why was Mr. Hearn charged with committing a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison when the government knew he was innocent? … Did the U.S. Department of the Interior deliberately mislead prosecutors to cover up a ‘botched’ renovation by a company awarded a dubious $15 million insider no-bid contract?” 

“The conclusion seems inescapable that at least one, if not both, of you have misled the American public about the evidence and used it to corrupt and weaponize our justice system against an innocent 67-year-old American citizen," he added.

The letter comes after President Donald Trump blasted Pirro for her handling of the case, criticizing her decision to drop the charges and claiming that she "choked" and "folded like an umbrella."

Raskin also claimed that issues with the Reflecting Pool renovations were already on Pirro's and Burgum's radar before the indictment, including complaining to the contractor responsible that the pool liner was already peeling.

He additionally accused Pirro of being aware of issues with renovations and questioned why she brought the case and sought a felony conviction on a misdemeanor crime. 

“Recent filings show that Ms. Pirro’s team of prosecutors was perfectly aware of Mr. Hearn’s likely innocence before they charged him with a felony," he wrote. "Indeed, a ‘Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Damage Assessment’ dated two days before Mr. Hearn’s indictment, shows systemic failure and peeling of the liner around the area where Mr. Hearn’s alleged vandalism occurred."

“Furthermore, despite Ms. Pirro’s claims that she had the evidence to prove Mr. Hearn’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, grand jury materials show that the prosecution’s own expert on damages testified that the existing damage to the liner was so extensive that no additional cost could be attributed to any actions of Mr. Hearn," he added.

Hearn was one of seven people who faced charges in what the administration said were efforts to sabotage the renovation project. He pleaded not guilty to destruction of property, the only felony charge among the suspects, before the case was dropped.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.