Politics · ArchiveJustice Department Drops Case, Blames Contractors for Lincoln Memorial DamageAired August 1, 2026 at 11:45 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00The Justice Department has moved to0:01dismiss its own criminal case against0:03former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, and0:06in a 20-page filing, it now says the0:08damage to the Lincoln Memorial0:09Reflecting Pool was caused by flawed0:11contractor installation, not by Hearn.0:13The filing attributes the damage to0:15substandard installation work and a rush0:18to complete the project before the0:19America 250 celebration this year. By0:22its own account, the government is now0:24acknowledging that what it once pursued0:26as a crime was, in fact, a failure of0:28the contractors it hired. The dismissal0:30motion leaves an immediate and0:31unresolved question. If the Justice0:33Department now concedes the Reflecting0:35Pool damage stemmed from contractor0:37error and schedule pressure, how did a0:39former Olympian end up facing criminal0:41charges in the first place? The 20-page0:43filing does not address what0:45investigative steps led prosecutors to0:47charge Hearn, nor does it indicate0:49whether anyone involved in the flawed0:50installation will face consequences. The0:52case against David Hearn now appears0:54headed for dismissal. The accountability0:56for the damage to one of the nation's0:58most recognized memorials does notExplore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗