The Justice Department moved to drop a criminal case against a former Olympian who stood accused of purposefully destroying part of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool floor.
The damage resulted from “flawed installation by the contractor,” the administration admitted in a Friday afternoon court filing — not vandalism, as President Donald Trump and top White House officials have insisted for weeks.
David Hearn, a three-time Olympic canoeist, was one of at least seven people to be arrested at the Reflecting Pool for alleged destruction of property and vandalism, according to the White House. He was arrested June 19 and pleaded not guilty to the vandalism charge after being indicted by a grand jury on July 2.