CNN’s Jennings defends Olympian after DOJ tosses Reflecting Pool case: ‘He ought to sue’

Administration CNN’s Jennings defends Olympian after DOJ tosses Reflecting Pool case: ‘He ought to sue’ Comments: by Mira Bhakta - 08/01/26 3:33 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Mira Bhakta - 08/01/26 3:33 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Republican political commentator Scott Jennings said the Olympian David Hearn “ought to sue” the Trump administration for attempting to prosecute him in connection with damage found at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

In an interview on CNN’s “The Source” with host Erica Hill, Jennings was asked if he had concerned the Department of Justice (DOJ) rushed to judgement on this case following the case being dropped.

“Yeah, of course,” Jennings replied. “It looks terrible. And, you know, after everything that was said, this guy, he is owed an apology.”

Hearn, 67, was federally indicted by a Washington, D.C. grand jury on charges of felony destruction of property and faced 10 years in prison. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro alleged the Ex-Olympic canoeist “ripped a piece of recently installed sealant on the bottom of the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial.”

The criminal prosecution was dropped Friday when Pirro shifted the blame to contractors in charge of the installation at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool for over spraying and delamination.

“The rush to complete the project led to hasty and botched work that was not remediated before the project was finished and the fencing removed,” new filings released Friday read.

Prosecutors on Friday noted that the section Hearn was accused of tampering with was not in the area where the vandalism likely occurred. It was also reported that a National Park Service engineer raised concerns about peeling days before he was arrested.

“I’m glad the charges got dropped. But they don’t have evidence. They shouldn’t be trying to go to trial,” Jennings continued.

President Trump disagreed with Pirro’s decision to drop the case, writing on Truth Social that “I don’t know what she was thinking? To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM.”

The Reflecting Pool was meant to be renovated by Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia-based contractor awarded a no-bid contract, but costs ballooned to $14.7 million in June. It faced scrutiny after an algae bloom and peeling paint was discovered after renovations were completed.

“They dragged this guy’s name through the mud,” Jennings concluded.

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