Judge warns Trump administration may have tanked Reflecting Pool vandalism case

Washington DC - A federal judge recently warned that President Donald Trump 's administration may have undermined their claims of vandalism against a former Olympian.

According to The Washington Post, attorneys for athlete Dave Hearn filed a motion last Thursday to have the indictment against him for allegedly vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial's Reflecting Pool – to which he has pled not guilty – thrown out.

The lawyers argue that the Trump administration failed to preserve the section of the pool Hearn is accused of damaging.

"Despite the importance of the pool liner to the case, in the brief period since June 19, 2026, the same government that presented and returned the indictment against Mr. Hearn has fenced off the scene, begun draining the pool yet again, and publicly announced its intention to repair the very liner whose condition is at issue," the motion said.

An attorney who recently visited the pool for an inspection "confirmed that spoliation of evidence has taken place."

During a status hearing on Monday, Judge Todd Edelman rejected the motion but pressed prosecutors on whether or not alterations had been made to the vandalized section of the pool.

After prosecutors said they were unsure, Edelman warned the government was "operating at its own peril" if the area was not preserved and noted that they could face sanctions in the case.

Hearn faces up to 10 years in prison in Reflecting Pool case

The case against Hearn comes as Trump has spent over $14 million attempting to renovate the Reflecting Pool in his second term.

He has repeatedly had to drain the pool and redo the work done in order to combat algae and fix peeling of the pool's liner – both of which he has blamed on vandals.

Hearn, who claims to have only touched a torn part of the liner, is now facing 10 years in prison for the act.

When asked by CNN if he felt this punishment would be suitable, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said it didn't matter if Hearn was a former Olympian, because it "doesn't exclude you from the law today."

An independent investigation by The Washington Post determined that the peeling of the liner was likely caused by application flaws.