President Donald Trump slammed U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro amid the saga over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying she "choked" and "folded like an umbrella" after her office undercut his allegations that the Washington landmark was damaged by vandals.
“I was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro. Really disappointed with Jeanine Pirro," Trump told reporters Aug. 3 in the Oval Office. "She folded like an umbrella.”
Trump has insisted for weeks that the Reflecting Pool's peeling lining was caused by nefarious actors. Pirro brought criminal charges against Olympian David Hearn, alleging he caused $1,000 in damages to the pool.
The Justice Department abruptly dropped Hearn's case on July 31, though, saying in a court filing that "the damage was
the result of a botched installation and not vandalism as initially represented" by the Interior Department.
The filing states that the pool suffered from a "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."
In blaming the Trump's administration's hand-picked contractor and rushed process for the renovation problems, the DOJ filing starkly contradicted the president's explanation for the pool's problems, prompting him to lash out at Pirro the next day.
"I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro," Trump wrote on social media Aug. 1.
The president ramped up his criticism of Pirro, a former Fox News host, on Monday and continued to insist that the pool was vandalized.
"I think she choked," Trump said of Pirro, while sidestepping questions about whether he'll replace her as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia after appointing her to the job last year.
Trump touted the Reflecting Pool renovations as part of a broader Washington makeover, saying he wanted to spruce up the pool ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary celebration last month. But the project quickly encountered problems, including algae blooms and peeling of the newly installed lining.
Contributing: Amanda Lee Myers, Dinah Voyles Pulver
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'She choked.' Trump slams Pirro after DOJ drops Reflecting Pool case
