The White House has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to consider new charges against the Olympian
The White House has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to consider bringing new charges against former Olympian David Hirn. He had previously been accused of damaging the reflecting pool near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. The Guardian reported this, citing a source familiar with the matter; The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the White House’s request.
On July 31, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Janine Pirro dropped the charges against Hirn. A 20-page motion to dismiss the case stated that the office had received evidence showing the damage to the pool occurred before the athlete’s visit. Pirro’s office also noted that it is difficult to attribute the extensive damage to vandalism, let alone prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. The case file cited improper installation of the pool tiles by a contractor as the cause of the damage.
Girn claims that during a bike ride in June, he merely touched a piece of the tiling in the water that had already come loose by that time. Donald Trump publicly criticized Pirro for her decision to drop the charges. A White House spokesperson did not directly confirm that a request had been made to the Department of Justice, but instead referred reporters to the department and sent a link to Trump’s posts on Truth Social.
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The grounds for any potential new charges against Hirn remain unclear. The Department of Justice did not directly answer whether it is considering new proceedings, but stated that it evaluates cases based on the facts and the law.
Girn’s attorneys, Norm Eisen, Mary Dorman, and Steve Levin, stated that if the information is confirmed, it would signify an attempt to reopen the case after the prosecutor’s office had previously determined there was insufficient evidence for a conviction. Attorney General Todd Blanche, commenting on the dismissal of the charges, praised Pirro but did not offer a clear assessment of her decision.
