GOP senator on Trump's Reflecting Pool vandalism claims: 'He grows anxious when he has an unexpressed thought'
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Republican Sen. John Kennedy (La.) said Sunday he is unsure whether President Trump truly believes his claims that vandals damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
“I don’t know whether he really believes that, or it’s part of his political messaging, or he’s just thinking out loud,” Kennedy told host Kristen Welker on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.”
“You and I both know the president well,” the Louisiana Republican added. “He exists loudly, and he grows anxious when he has an unexpressed thought. I’m not saying he doesn’t really believe it, I just don’t know.”
The Justice Department moved Friday to drop its criminal prosecution of former Olympian David Hearn over allegations he damaged the Reflecting Pool
In a 20-page filing, the Justice Department pinned the damage to the site on a “rushed and botched installation” Atlantic Industrial Coatings carried out this spring and summer to repaint the bottom of the pool. The department also faulted the Interior Department for a “barebones” report about the incident involving Hearn.
“Specifically, the newly released documents reveal that work on installing the lining almost immediately fell behind, due to a combination of very rainy and windy weather, repeated failures of testing on the sealing of the expansion joints, and delays in obtaining sealing product at the worksite,” wrote prosecutors from the office of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who oversees Washington, D.C.
“The rush to complete the project led to hasty and botched work that was not remediated before the project was finished and the fencing removed,” prosecutors added.
Associate Judge Todd Edelman, an appointee of former President Obama who sits on the District of Columbia’s Superior Court, has the final say on whether to dismiss the case against Hearn — a three-time Olympic canoeist who pleaded not guilty to felony destruction of property last month.
Trump said he disagreed “100%” with Pirro’s decision to drop the case. The president appointed Pirro — a former local prosecutor, judge and Fox News host — to her post in May 2025.
“I don’t know what she was thinking?” the president wrote on Truth Social, referring to Pirro. “To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM. … There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!”
But Kennedy, a lawyer and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Pirro was “smart” to dismiss the prosecution of Hearn, which he called a “multiple vehicle pileup.”
“Federal judges will not tolerate,” the GOP lawmaker told Welker on Sunday. “And so, I don’t know why she filed the suit without doing a full investigation. She says she relied on the Department of Interior. But she was smart to pull it back.”
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The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool damage initially attributed to former Olympian David Hearn is now attributed to contractor error rather than vandalism. The Justice Department is withdrawing its prosecution against Hearn, citing a flawed investigation by the Interior Department and faulty work by Atlantic Industrial Coatings during spring and summer repainting. Trump disputes this conclusion. GOP Senator John Kennedy, a lawyer and Judiciary Committee member, supports the prosecution withdrawal, saying the case lacked proper investigation. Kennedy expressed uncertainty about whether Trump genuinely believes his vandalism claims or is using them for political messaging, noting Trump's tendency to think aloud.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗ · The Hill ↗
Skip to content
Republican Sen. John Kennedy (La.) said Sunday he is unsure whether President Trump truly believes his claims that vandals damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
“I don’t know whether he really believes that, or it’s part of his political messaging, or he’s just thinking out loud,” Kennedy told host Kristen Welker on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.”
“You and I both know the president well,” the Louisiana Republican added. “He exists loudly, and he grows anxious when he has an unexpressed thought. I’m not saying he doesn’t really believe it, I just don’t know.”
The Justice Department moved Friday to drop its criminal prosecution of former Olympian David Hearn over allegations he damaged the Reflecting Pool
In a 20-page filing, the Justice Department pinned the damage to the site on a “rushed and botched installation” Atlantic Industrial Coatings carried out this spring and summer to repaint the bottom of the pool. The department also faulted the Interior Department for a “barebones” report about the incident involving Hearn.
“Specifically, the newly released documents reveal that work on installing the lining almost immediately fell behind, due to a combination of very rainy and windy weather, repeated failures of testing on the sealing of the expansion joints, and delays in obtaining sealing product at the worksite,” wrote prosecutors from the office of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who oversees Washington, D.C.
“The rush to complete the project led to hasty and botched work that was not remediated before the project was finished and the fencing removed,” prosecutors added.
Associate Judge Todd Edelman, an appointee of former President Obama who sits on the District of Columbia’s Superior Court, has the final say on whether to dismiss the case against Hearn — a three-time Olympic canoeist who pleaded not guilty to felony destruction of property last month.
Trump said he disagreed “100%” with Pirro’s decision to drop the case. The president appointed Pirro — a former local prosecutor, judge and Fox News host — to her post in May 2025.
“I don’t know what she was thinking?” the president wrote on Truth Social, referring to Pirro. “To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM. … There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!”
But Kennedy, a lawyer and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Pirro was “smart” to dismiss the prosecution of Hearn, which he called a “multiple vehicle pileup.”
“Federal judges will not tolerate,” the GOP lawmaker told Welker on Sunday. “And so, I don’t know why she filed the suit without doing a full investigation. She says she relied on the Department of Interior. But she was smart to pull it back.”
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗ · The Hill ↗
The Justice Department moved Friday to drop its criminal prosecution of former Olympian David Hearn over allegations he damaged the Reflecting Pool The DOJ cited a 'rushed and botched installation' by Atlantic Industrial Coatings during spring and summer repainting as the cause of damage Trump said he disagreed '100%' with the decision to drop the case, calling it 'pure vandalism' GOP Sen. John Kennedy said the prosecution was 'a multiple vehicle pileup' and called Pirro 'smart' for dismissing it Kennedy told NBC News he is unsure whether Trump truly believes his vandalism claims or is using them for political messaging
Read the full story at The Hill ↗ · The Hill ↗
- Trump claimed vandals damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool; the Justice Department is dropping prosecution of the alleged vandal, citing contractor error instead
- The DOJ found a rushed, botched installation by Atlantic Industrial Coatings caused the damage, not criminal vandalism
- GOP Sen. John Kennedy said he's uncertain whether Trump believes his own claims and called the prosecution decision correct
- Trump disagreed with the decision to drop the case, saying it was 'pure vandalism'; Kennedy defended the prosecution withdrawal as legally sound