Donald Trump just turned on one of his closest allies in the most public way possible. The president slammed U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro after she dropped a high-profile vandalism case tied to the Reflecting Pool.
Donald Trump accused his hand-picked US attorney of ‘folding like an umbrella’
President Donald Trump publicly criticized U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Monday for dropping charges against Olympic canoeist David Hearn, according to NBC Washington. Trump said Pirro “choked” and “folded like an umbrella” after prosecutors dismissed the Reflecting Pool vandalism case. He made the remarks during an unrelated Oval Office executive order signing event.
“Frankly, I think she choked because the judge was really vicious,” Trump said. He added that the judge targeted Pirro’s department instead of pursuing the accused. Trump also stated, “I don’t know what the hell happened.”
The dismissal marked a rare instance of a Trump appointee openly defying him during his second term. Pirro had concluded that damage to the Reflecting Pool resulted from shoddy construction rather than vandalism. Trump had initially posted on social media, “I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro.”
Hearn said he was on a bike ride on June 19 near the pool. He briefly touched a chunk of peeled coating but obeyed a park worker’s instructions. Charges against three other individuals accused of removing paint pieces were also dropped.
Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana warned against making unsubstantiated allegations before a federal judge. “They are very serious about it,” Kennedy said. He also predicted Hearn would likely sue the federal government.
Trump distanced himself from the Reflecting Pool renovation project on Monday. He denied knowing the contractor despite previously praising the firm in April. Atlantic Industrial Coatings had received a $14.7 million no-bid contract for the work.
“I’m not saying I was 100% thrilled with the contractor, but the contractor was rushing,” Trump said. He promised the Reflecting Pool would reopen within two weeks. Crews had already drained it for a new round of repairs.
