D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to brief reporters on Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool “vandalism” investigation

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, is scheduled to speak with reporters Thursday afternoon about the status of an investigation into alleged vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to The Hill. The briefing is expected to provide an update on the Trump administration’s probe into claims that the pool, which underwent a rehabilitation project, was tampered with after crews completed the work.

The investigation follows findings by the National Park Service that the reflecting pool’s liner was damaged by what appeared to be a sharp object, prompting the basin to be drained as repairs continued, The Hill reported. The National Park Service’s assessment is being treated by investigators as central to the allegation that the damage was not accidental, though the investigation is ongoing and details of any charges were not included in The Hill’s account.

According to a separate local report, the U.S. Department of the Interior said on June 29 that seven arrests had been made and that seven federal citations were issued in total. The same report said court filings and related disclosures cited in the investigation described the liner as “cut with a sharp knife or razor,” and also mentioned debris and other conduct allegedly connected to the damage. The Interior Department statement is the only department-level figure cited in the available reporting.

President Donald Trump has publicly characterized the damage as the result of tampering. As reported by KRXI2, Trump said “criminal, radical left vandals” damaged the Reflecting Pool after the $16 million rehabilitation project was completed, and he also said investigators found a long slash and that algae that appeared in the pool after renovations concluded was “criminally made.” Those claims are attributed to the President; investigators and prosecutors have not said publicly in the available accounts what charges, if any, will be pursued or what specific evidence supports each allegation.

Prosecutorial action appears to be developing alongside the broader inquiry into the site. KRXI2 reported that a source familiar with the matter told CNN that three-time U.S. Olympian David Hearn had been indicted by a grand jury in D.C. Superior Court, and KRXI2 also said he was among those arrested in the investigation last month. KRXI2 further reported that Hearn told ABC News at the time that police arrested him after he touched blue coating partially detached from the bottom of the reflecting pool.

The investigation is also tied to identification efforts by federal law enforcement. KRXI2 said the U.S. Park Police (USPP) released a video on June 24 of a person allegedly connected to the vandalism, and that the video showed a person kneeling by the pool and reaching into the water. The report did not provide the video’s contents beyond the described scene, and it did not state whether any charges had been filed in connection with that specific image.

Officials have continued to link the case to the recent renovations and the public use of the memorial site. The Hill reported the basin was drained as repairs continued, indicating immediate operational disruption while investigators and the site operators determine how the liner was damaged and what further work is required. Pirro’s Thursday afternoon remarks are expected to clarify what is known in the case now, including whether any defendants have been charged and what the next prosecutorial steps may be.