A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
A three-time U.S. Olympian is facing up to 10 years in prison. He's one of several people accused by the Trump administration of vandalizing the reflecting pool on the National Mall after chunks of its new multimillion-dollar coating were seen floating in the water. Here's NPR's Juliana Kim.
JULIANA KIM, BYLINE: Sixty-seven-year-old David Hearn, a former canoe racer, was accused of ripping a piece of sealant on the bottom of the reflecting pool last month. U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro spoke about the charges at a press conference on Thursday.
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JEANINE PIRRO: This was a deliberate act to damage the reflecting pool at the National Mall that members of the National Park Service actually have worked hard to restore and have witnessed.
KIM: Pirro says Hearn caused over $1,000 worth of damages. She spoke after a grand jury returned a felony indictment against Hearn.
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PIRRO: If anyone decides they want to damage that, whatever they think their reason is, or whether they think it's justified, or whether they think it's not important, will be held to account. This is a priority not only for the president but for myself as well.
KIM: Hearn previously told The Associated Press that he reached into the pool to examine the new coating. Hearn added that he briefly touched a chunk that was still attached to the pool and let go after a park worker told him to do so. Norm Eisen is an attorney with the Democracy Defenders Fund, and he's representing Hearn. He told NPR that his client is innocent.
NORM EISEN: These charges are outrageous and should be alarming to every American. The indictment reflects the administration's effort to shift blame for their own failures.
KIM: Renovating the reflecting pool has been one of President Trump's passion projects in Washington, D.C. It's estimated to have cost around $14 million. But since it reopened last month, the pool has been filled with problems, from green algae to the pool's new coating peeling off. Trump is blaming the paint issues on, quote, "vandals," but pool specialists say it likely stems from shortcomings with the renovation itself. Hearn's next court hearing is scheduled for July 9.
Juliana Kim, NPR News.
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