Staff Reports
WASHINGTON D.C. — Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., sent a letter on Aug. 5 requesting that the Department of the Interior Deputy Inspector General Caryl Brzymialkiewicz investigate what Department officials knew—and when they knew it—about engineering failures at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and whether DOI employees withheld evidence from federal prosecutors.
The request follows explosive new court filings from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, which moved to dismiss felony vandalism charges against the three-time Olympian David Hearn after acknowledging that DOI had failed to provide prosecutors with information showing the Reflecting Pool’s lining was already peeling because of a rushed and flawed installation process before Hearn was arrested.
“We write to request that the Office of Inspector General investigate what employees of the Department of the Interior knew—and when they knew it—regarding the peeling of the coating and other engineering issues at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool,” the senators wrote.
The Senators note that the DOJ’s filing states prosecutors relied on incomplete and faulty information from DOI and only obtained critical evidence after repeatedly requesting documents from the Department. According to the filing, had DOI disclosed information already in its possession, prosecutors never would have sought a grand jury indictment against Hearn. The filing further reveals that a National Park Service engineer alerted DOI officials on June 11—eight days before Hearn’s arrest—that the Reflecting Pool’s new lining was already peeling.
“These events, and the information and documents that DOI apparently possesses that remain non-public, provide ample predicate for an investigation by your office. Numerous questions remain: How was the vandalism lie cooked up? How did it get to President Trump’s desk? Or did it originate from the White House? What knowledge of the peeling did DOI employees (including DOI leadership) possess, when did they possess it, and what were their respective roles? Who received and was copied on the June 11 email thread? Why did DOI hold relevant documents from USAO-DC?” the Senators pressed, raising questions about what DOI officials knew, who was aware of the engineering failures, why key information was withheld from prosecutors, and whether senior Department officials continued to promote false claims even after evidence contradicted them.
The Senators concluded their letter urging the Interior Inspector General to investigate DOI’s knowledge of the coating failures and whether DOI employees intentionally withheld evidence from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, “Accordingly, we urge your office to open an immediate investigation into DOI’s knowledge of coating and peeling issues with the Reflecting Pool—including what was known, who knew it, and when they knew it—and whether DOI employees intentionally withheld evidence from USAO-DC.”
VANDALISM OR SHODDY CONTRACTOR WORK?
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is currently empty, fenced off, and closed to the public. It is undergoing repairs following a highly publicized political and legal controversy over a $14–$16 million renovation project.
The landmark was drained following Independence Day celebrations. The U.S. Interior Department stated it will remain closed until at least Aug. 10.
The Trump administration launched a rushed initiative to seal leaks and repaint the pool liner an “American flag blue” in time for the country’s 250th birthday.
Shortly after completion, the new liner began blistering, peeling, and lifting, which experts blamed on a rushed and flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings.
The administration initially blamed the peeling on anti-government “vandals.” Federal prosecutors indicted four people, including former Olympic canoeist David Hearn. However, after internal National Park Service documents revealed the damage was entirely due to shoddy contractor work, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro abruptly dropped all criminal charges.
Pirro asked for Hearn’s case to be dismissed in a 20-page motion July 31, which the judge granted. In it, she blamed the Department of the Interior for only recently releasing key evidence, after the grand jury proceedings and following “dozens and dozens” of requests by her office.
Those documents, Pirro wrote, indicate that damage was not the result of vandalism but the “flawed installation by the contractor and the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026.”
Based on the Department of the Interior’s documentation, Pirro said factors including rain, wind and delays in obtaining the sealing product “led to hasty and botched work” that was not corrected before the pool was refilled in early June. Within days, algae turned the water green and pieces of the new “American flag blue” lining were seen floating to the surface.
President Donald Trump was quick to contradict Pirro on social media, writing on Truth Social Aug. 1: “There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!”
Trump doubled down in his criticisms Aug. 3, telling reporters in the Oval Office that he was “really disappointed” with Pirro.
“She folded like an umbrella, and people get away with things and it’s a disgrace,” Trump said.
He rebuked, but didn’t answer, a reporter’s question about whether he was reconsidering Pirro’s role. He appointed her to the position in 2025.
