Ex-Olympian Pleads Not Guilty to Reflecting Pool Vandalism; Lawyer Calls It Political
Daily Mail—Former Olympic canoe racer David Hearn pleaded not guilty to charges of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, with his attorney calling him a "scapegoat" in a case the defense says is politically motivated. The New Republic reported the DOJ lost its first major pretrial motion in the case. Trump had publicly accused the Reflecting Pool of being vandalized, and prosecutors brought federal charges based on that claim. Critics on the left argued the prosecution reflects an abuse of the DOJ under Trump, while right-leaning media framed the charges as legitimate accountability for a prominent vandalism target.
- Daily Mail — A new theory emerged about why vandals may have targeted the Lincoln Memorial landmark
- HuffPost — Trump originally alleged vandalism to the Reflecting Pool, prompting the federal case
- HuffPost — Politics — Former Olympian Pleads Not Guilty In Reflecting Pool Damage Case After Trump Alleged Vandalism
- CBS News — US — Olympian David Hearn pleads not guilty to charges of damaging Reflecting Pool
- BBC — World — Ex-Olympian pleads not guilty to Reflecting Pool vandalism charges
- Straight Arrow News — Defense argues Hearn is being singled out to answer for a politically charged accusation
- NOTUS — Former Olympian formally pleads not guilty to federal vandalism charges
- The New Republic — DOJ lost its first significant pretrial ask in the Reflecting Pool prosecution
- The Daily Beast — Trump’s Reflecting Pool Debacle Deepens With New Charges
- The Hill — David Hearn enters not guilty plea in the Reflecting Pool vandalism case
- CNBC — Former Olympian David Hearn pleads not guilty; his lawyer calls him a political scapegoat
- PBS NewsHour — Former Olympic canoe racer pleads not guilty in Reflecting Pool damage case
- PBS NewsHour — News Wrap: Olympian pleads not guilty on Reflecting Pool damage charges