President Donald Trump said he has not decided whether U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro will keep her job after prosecutors in her office abruptly dropped a felony vandalism case involving the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Trump met with Pirro at the White House on Monday after publicly accusing his longtime ally of choking under pressure and allowing former U.S. Olympian David Hearn to escape prosecution.
Asked by reporters in Los Angeles on Tuesday whether Pirro was “safe” and would remain in her position, Trump left her future conspicuously uncertain.
“I haven’t made a determination,” Trump said before boarding Air Force One.
“I told her I was not happy,” he added.
Trump stood by his claim that the reflecting pool had been deliberately damaged and defended the contractors involved in its $16 million renovation.
“I just think she was totally wrong. They did a beautiful job, there were a couple of little things but that was not a big deal and everybody saw the vandalism, all you have to do is look at the tape,” he said.
“Plus, we have a witness or two witnesses that saw the vandalism, so certainly there was vandalism. In my opinion, it was major vandalism.”
The president had already unloaded on Pirro during an Oval Office appearance Monday, making clear that he viewed the dismissal as another example of prosecutors backing down rather than enforcing the law.
“I was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro, really disappointed with Jeanine Pirro,” Trump said.
“She folded like an umbrella, and people get away with things, and it’s a disgrace.”
“Frankly, I think she choked,” Trump said, adding: “I don’t know what the hell happened.”
Pirro, a former judge, district attorney and Fox News host, was appointed U.S. attorney for Washington in May 2025 after Trump’s first choice, Ed Martin, ran into resistance from Republican senators.
Trump on Jeanine Pirro: She was totally wrong. Everybody saw the vandalism. All you have to do is look at the tape. Plus we have witness or two witnesses. It was major vandalism. pic.twitter.com/wFIWnhWAhD
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 5, 2026
Hearn was arrested by U.S. Park Police after he was seen reaching into the reflecting pool and examining a section of its detached liner. He was later indicted on one felony count of property destruction and pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors moved to dismiss the case Friday, citing newly discovered evidence that they said weakened the indictment. Court documents said the damage may have resulted from installation problems rather than vandalism.
“Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt,” the filing states.
Hearn’s attorneys are now asking a judge to dismiss the case permanently, arguing that federal prosecutors ignored evidence showing the liner was already failing before their client touched it.
“From the outset, the evidence showed that the pool liner was already failing and that Mr. Hearn did not cause the damage alleged in the indictment,” Hearn’s legal team argued in a 28-page motion filed Tuesday in D.C. Superior Court.
The defense also accused the government of rushing to indict Hearn without properly evaluating publicly available photographs, videos and reports documenting problems with the pool.
“Defying both decency and common sense, the government proceeded to indict Mr. Hearn before it had obtained or evaluated the information necessary to establish a good-faith basis for the charge,” the defense attorneys wrote.
The controversy is the latest setback for Pirro’s office, which has also failed to secure indictments in several politically charged cases involving prominent Donald Trump opponents.
Hearn had faced up to 10 years in prison and was scheduled to stand trial Sept. 28 before prosecutors dismissed the charge. Pirro’s own position now remains unresolved, with Trump publicly refusing to guarantee that she will stay.
