White House Pushes DOJ to 'Consider New Prosecution' of Former Olympian David Hearn Over Reflecting Pool 'Vandalism' Allegations After Case Was Dropped

The White House is reportedly pressing the Justice Department to consider a new case against former Olympian David Hearn over alleged Reflecting Pool damage, despite prosecutors previously moving to dismiss charges, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

The push comes after federal prosecutors said new information indicated the damage may have been caused by a contractor's "botched installation" rather than intentional vandalism.

According to the Wall Street Journal, White House officials spoke with the Justice Department's Criminal Division last week about whether Hearn could potentially face another prosecution.

The discussions reportedly centered on whether the case could be pursued as a misdemeanor, which would not require prosecutors to obtain an indictment from a grand jury.

The conversations were described as exploratory, and no decision had been made to bring new charges.

Hearn was previously charged by Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, with felony destruction of government property.

Prosecutors accused the former Olympian of causing more than $1,000 in damage to sealant recently installed at the bottom of the Reflecting Pool.

Earlier this month, the DOJ moved to dismiss the charges, citing damage due to "botched installation."

Trump has publicly criticized the decision to drop Hearn's case, making his frustration with Pirro clear in a post on Truth Social.

"There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!" Trump wrote.

"I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool," he added. "I don't know what she was thinking?"

Hearn's attorney, Michael Bromwich, slammed the reported effort to revive the prosecution.

"It was truly difficult to understand the enormous effort apparently being spent on reviving a case that was dead on arrival," Bromwich said in a statement to CBS News.

"The case was dismissed because there was no evidence to support charging Mr. Hearn. That won't change with more people spending more time to figure out a way to salvage it. At some point DOJ should simply cut its losses and pursue actual criminal activity rather than continue to harass Mr. Hearn," he added.

After prosecutors dropped Hearn's charges, they also moved to dismiss misdemeanor cases against three other defendants accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool.

Those defendants were accused of causing less than $1,000 in damage.

The reported effort has raised questions about the Justice Department's traditional independence from the White House in criminal prosecutions.

During the Biden administration, then-Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a department memo that the DOJ "will not advise the White House concerning pending or contemplated criminal or civil law enforcement investigations or cases unless doing so is important for the performance of the President's duties and appropriate from a law enforcement perspective."

Attorney General Todd Blanche has previously offered a different view of the department's relationship with the White House.

During his confirmation hearing, Democratic Senator Chris Coons asked him, "Is the Department of Justice that you are running independent from the White House?"

Blanche replied, "The Department of Justice, like every single department in the executive, is part of the executive."