Why did Trump attack Jeanine Pirro over US reflecting pool ‘vandalism’?

US president’s hand-picked DC attorney in firing line after dropping charges for vandalism of Washington landmark. US President Donald Trump has threatened to fire US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, after she said the government would not press ahead with criminal charges of vandalism of Washington’s Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool against former Olympic athlete David Hearn . The reflecting pool project is one of several changes to the landscape of Washington, DC that Trump has pursued during his second term in office. But following a multimillion-dollar refurbishment ahead of the 250th anniversary of US independence this year, parts of the lining of the pool were seen floating on the surface, and algae turned the water from blue to green, which Trump claimed was caused by vandalism. Hearn, 67, was among a number of people arrested for suspected criminal damage to the “American flag blue” lining of the pool.

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Scoop News DeskUs · Published Tuesday, August 4, 2026 at 4:01 PM UTCUpdated Tuesday, August 4, 2026 at 4:32 PM UTC

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According to the US government, Pirro has worked in the legal field for several decades, having started as an assistant district attorney for Westchester County, New York, in 1975 and later working as the first female judge in the Westchester County Court from 1990 to 1993. He was charged with destruction of government property, an offence that carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.