
WASHINGTON (VINnews) — President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro engaged in a heated Oval Office confrontation Monday after Pirro withdrew felony vandalism charges in a high-profile case involving damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to a report by The New York Times.
The newspaper reported that Trump was angered after Pirro publicly reversed course in the case against David Hearn, a 67-year-old former Olympic canoeist who had been accused of damaging the pool. In a court filing last week, Pirro acknowledged that the prosecution had relied on incomplete and inaccurate evidence and concluded the damage was more likely caused by a contractor hired to renovate the landmark than by vandals.
Trump publicly criticized Pirro on Monday, accusing her of “folding like an umbrella” and expressing disappointment over her decision to dismiss the case. Rumors circulated that Pirro could lose her position as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
The Times reported that Pirro entered the Oval Office carrying boxes of documents and evidence and directly confronted Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, accusing him of misleading Trump by promoting a narrative that blamed vandals rather than problems with the Interior Department’s renovation project. Burgum defended his department’s actions during the meeting.
Despite the tense exchange, Pirro emerged from the meeting with her job intact, at least for now. The White House, Pirro and Burgum did not respond to requests for comment, according to The New York Times.
The dispute highlights growing tensions within Trump’s administration over the handling of the Reflecting Pool investigation and the failed prosecution, which carried a potential 10-year prison sentence before prosecutors moved to dismiss the case.