Former Olympic canoe racer David Hearn says he was unfairly singled out after his Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool arrest over alleged vandalism, insisting he picked up flaking paint and plans to fight a misdemeanor charge in D.C. Superior Court on July 9.
David Hearn reached into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to check paint that appeared to be peeling from the newly renovated surface. Two days later, he was still trying to make sense of the moment his own hands became evidence.
On Friday, June 19, the former Olympic canoe racer was detained by National Guard troops and U.S. Park Police after he reached into the Reflecting Pool to inspect the paint. Authorities charged him with destruction of government property. a misdemeanor that can carry penalties of up to a $100. 000 fine or one year in jail if damage does not exceed $100. according to the Department of Justice.
“I did nothing wrong,” Hearn told Newsweek on Tuesday, June 23.
Hearn. 67. lives in Bethesda. Md. and he says the case is being treated like a public example as the Trump administration pushes a vandalism explanation for the ongoing problems at the landmark site. He told The Washington Post that he picked up a piece of paint that was already flaking off and did not remove any material from the pool. “I didn’t vandalize anything. … I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs,” he said.
While the dispute plays out in courtrooms and on the political stage, Hearn is focused on a single question: why him.
“I think I might be the only person whose name is public of those arrests or citations,” he said. “I feel like I was targeted and I’m feeling singled out — definitely.”
He also raised what he sees as larger stakes for anyone caught in the administration’s crackdown. “I’m feeling singled out — definitely,” he said, then added concern about the “current posture of the government toward ignoring the rule of law and people’s civil rights and such.”
His attorney, Norm Eisen, said Hearn will contest the charge when he appears in D.C. Superior Court on July 9.
The confrontation with Hearn comes as President Donald Trump and the White House defend claims that deliberate vandalism—not construction flaws—is behind the damage at the Reflecting Pool. On Tuesday, Trump announced that six people had been arrested in connection to alleged vandalism at the historic site. He claimed a “350 foot gash” in the pool liner was intentionally created with “a very sharp knife or razors.” “It was purposefully and criminally done. ” Trump wrote on Truth Social. adding that repairs will require draining part of the pool around the Fourth of July.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. who returned from maternity leave on June 22. defended the administration’s position during a Fox News appearance. She said officials had documented “17 police reports” and “six arrests” connected to incidents at the site and insisted the vandalism claims were “very real.”.
Hearn’s arrest also lands amid continued scrutiny of the renovation itself. Critics have pointed to algae that appeared soon after the pool was refilled and reports that portions of the blue coating on the pool floor were flaking away. Trump’s estranged niece. Mary Trump. has been among the critics. arguing. “No other president would … spend $14 million of taxpayer dollars to fix something that wasn’t broken just to enrich one of his cronies.”.
Leavitt rejected those criticisms and said the administration remains committed to the project. “President Trump is not going to stop with this effort,” she said. “We’re going to not only hold those people accountable. but we’re going to fix the pool … continue to make it beautiful from this despicable vandalism just in time to celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday next week.”.
For Hearn, the next step is straightforward: he plans to fight the misdemeanor charge in court. For the administration, the message is already clear—vandalism is the story. Between those two positions sits a single man who says he was only trying to inspect paint that was already coming loose.
David Hearn Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool U.S. Park Police National Guard D.C. Superior Court Trump administration Karoline Leavitt Truth Social vandalism claims $14 million renovation Mary Trump Newsweek alleged destruction of government property