Power Grab/Fire anyone who can stop him
Trump says Pirro “choked” and “folded like an umbrella” over the Reflecting Pool case
After U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office moved to dismiss the indictment of former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, Trump said vandals caused the damage and declined to say whether he would fire her.
What happened
On July 31, 2026, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office moved to dismiss the felony indictment of former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, saying new Interior Department records showed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool liner failed because of a rushed and flawed contractor installation.
On August 1 Trump posted that he disagreed 100 percent and that vandals caused the damage; on August 3 he told reporters Pirro “choked” and “folded like an umbrella.” He blamed a hostile judge and declined to say whether he would fire her. That evening she met him at the White House, and on August 4 he said she was totally wrong.
A judge dismissed Hearn’s case on August 6, and prosecutors also dropped three misdemeanor cases. Hearn is the former Olympic canoeist whose felony indictment was moved for dismissal on July 31. The August 6 dismissal followed Pirro’s motion by six days.
Who benefited
Hearn no longer faces a felony indictment, and the three people whose misdemeanor cases were dropped are out of court too. The new Interior Department records pointed to a rushed and flawed contractor installation, not vandals.
Who wanted something
Trump wanted the prosecution to go on and wanted vandals blamed for the damage. He said he disagreed 100 percent with the dismissal, blamed a hostile judge, and told reporters Pirro folded. He said he disagreed 100 percent with the dismissal, blamed a hostile judge, and told reporters that Pirro choked and folded like an umbrella.
Who lost out
Pirro paid for dropping the case with a public rebuke from the president, who declined to say whether he would fire her. She met him at the White House the evening of August 3, and the next day he said she was totally wrong.
Why it matters
A prosecutor followed new government records to dismiss a case, and the president attacked her for it. The case ended anyway, with a judge’s dismissal on August 6 and three misdemeanor cases dropped. The case ended anyway, with a judge’s dismissal on August 6 and three misdemeanor cases dropped, and Trump’s public attacks continued through August 4.