Washington — President Trump on Monday publicly rebuked Jeanine Pirro, his handpicked U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, for dropping the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool vandalism cases, but ignored questions about whether he intends to fire her.
The Justice Department submitted a court filing Friday moving to dismiss vandalism charges against 67-year-old former Olympian David Hearn, saying the Interior Department incorrectly attributed damage in the pool’s lining to vandalism and that evidence showed “contractor error” and a “botched installation” were to blame.
That move did not rest well with Mr. Trump, who said Pirro “choked” and “made a mistake.”
“I was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday. “Really disappointed with Jeanine Pirro. She folded like an umbrella.”
“Frankly, I think she choked,” he said. “…I guess she choked. I don’t know what the hell happened.”
According to court filings reviewed by CBS News in D.C. Superior Court, since Friday, Pirro’s office also moved to dismiss or said it would drop its prosecutions against three more people who were charged with vandalizing the Reflecting Pool. All three had been facing misdemeanor charges.
The president snapped at one reporter who asked if he’s reconsidering Pirro’s role as U.S. attorney and ignored another question from a reporter about whether he’ll fire Pirro.
The president had previously voiced his displeasure on Truth Social, writing Saturday, “I disagree 100%” with Pirro’s decision on the Reflecting Pool case. But Monday’s comments in the Oval Office went further.
Asked if the president is considering removing Pirro from her post, the White House referred CBS News to the president’s comments in the Oval Office.
Multiple sources later told CBS News that Pirro’s job is safe for now. Pirro spoke with the president on Monday in the Oval Office, but didn’t quit or ask if Mr. Trump wanted her to step down, sources with direct knowledge said. Mr. Trump is “pissed” about Pirro dropping the vandalism charges, but did not fire her, the sources said.
Hearn, who lives in nearby Bethesda, Maryland, said he stopped by the pool on June 19 while on a 64-mile bike ride, and authorities arrested him after he reached down to touch it. He was accused of ripping a piece of sealant from the pool, but he denied any wrongdoing.
Attorneys for Hearn said in a statement Friday that the case “should never have been brought” and that the government “owes Mr. Hearn an apology.”
Moving to drop the charges was an about-face for Pirro. She held a news conference when the case against Hearn was first announced, saying: “One of the most offensive images that I hold in my mind are the images of national monuments that are being debased, roped, torn down, graffitied, and damaged by individuals. This unchecked vandalism and civil disorder turns into criminal behavior, and that’s why we are here today.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct a reference to the additional charges that were dropped; they were all misdemeanors.