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Lawyers in Reflecting Pool case say Justice Department knew case was flawed

WASHINGTON | The Justice Department knew or should have known for weeks that its case against a former Olympian charged with intentionally damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was flawed, and that he bore no responsibility for longstanding problems at the landmark, defense lawyers said Tuesday. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Friday moved to dismiss […]

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Evidence refutes Trump’s vandalism claims in Reflecting Pool debacle. Charges dismissed

WASHINGTON | The Justice Department moved Friday to dismiss a criminal case charging a former Olympian with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying evidence prosecutors had recently received refuted the idea that vandals were to blame. Government lawyers said in a 20-page court filing that additional documents provided by the Interior Department since […]

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Former Olympian pleads not guilty in Reflecting Pool damage case after Trump alleged vandalism

WASHINGTON | A former Olympic canoe racer pleaded not guilty on Thursday to deliberately damaging the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a politically charged case that his defense attorneys and other Trump administration critics have derided as an abuse of prosecutorial power. David Hearn, who competed in three Summer Olympics, entered the plea through […]

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Patrols and nanobubbles on display at the Reflecting Pool as Trump looks for a renovation do-over

WASHINGTON | National Guard members and U.S. Park Police patrolled the deck around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Monday as President Donald Trump’s administration faces a self-imposed deadline to fix a botched renovation before the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration. The patrols came two days after Trump said authorities had made “multiple arrests” of people […]

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Trump tries to blame Reflecting Pool woes on vandalism, offering no proof at all

WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that federal authorities had made “multiple arrests” of people he said were vandalizing the Reflecting Pool as he struggled to explain why the $14-million-plus rehabilitation project he launched for the nation’s 250th anniversary seemingly backfired. Trump said his predecessors had let the pool turn an algae-stained green […]