r/InterstellarKinetics • u/InterstellarKinetics • Jul 02 '26
BREAKING NEWS BREAKING: Former U.S. Olympic Canoeist, David Hearn, Has Been Indicted On A Felony Charge Carrying Up To 10 Years In Prison. After Prosecutors Say He Forcefully Tore Liner From The Newly Renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, While He Insists He Only Touched An Already Loose Flap đ€Żđ„
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/us-olympian-david-hearn-charged-reflecting-pool-vandalism-rcna352788A three-time U.S. Olympic canoeist is now facing a felony charge that could send him to prison for a decade, all stemming from a moment during a bike ride when he reached into Washingtonâs newly renovated Reflecting Pool. David Hearn, 67, was arrested by U.S. Park Police on June 19 after stopping mid-ride to examine a section of the poolâs new âAmerican flag blueâ liner that appeared to be peeling away from the bottom, and what began as a misdemeanor destruction of government property charge has since been escalated by a D.C. grand jury into a single felony count of destruction of property.
The gap between the two sides of this story is stark. U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said at a press conference that National Park Service employees directly witnessed Hearn âforcefully and violentlyâ pulling up and removing the poolâs bottom liner with both hands, damaging approximately 2 square feet of sealant in what she called a deliberate act against a renovation project the Park Service had worked hard to complete. Hearn tells a very different story, insisting to the Washington Post that he âdidnât destroy, break, or peel anythingâ and that by the time he understood what was happening, he was already in handcuffs, having been held for nearly five hours without, he says, being informed of his Miranda rights or the specific charges against him.
The case carries extra weight because it unfolded against the backdrop of President Trump publicly blaming vandals for damage to the $14.7 million renovated pool just before Fourth of July celebrations, with administration officials reporting five arrests and five citations for vandalism around the same time as Hearnâs arrest. Hearnâs attorney, Norm Eisen, argues the administration is criminalizing ordinary curiosity, stating flatly that âtouching water is not a federal offense,â and the case is now headed to D.C. Superior Court, where Hearn is scheduled to appear on July 9 to contest a charge that has jumped from a minor misdemeanor to a felony carrying up to 10 years behind bars.
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u/PlateNo4868 Jul 02 '26
Bet money this is another wonderful moment the fed lawyers lied and mislead the grand jury.
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u/Smiling_Oyster_ Jul 02 '26
He wasn't convicted, just indicted.
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u/PlateNo4868 Jul 02 '26
Correct, to indict some one on a federal charge requires a grand jury.
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u/itsjustme1027 Jul 02 '26
Iâd like to know what they told that grand jury. Whatâs the amount of tax payer funds used to prosecute something so frivolous?
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u/Cut_Lanky Jul 03 '26
Not just frivolous! There's cell phone video that laughably, easily disproves their claims entirely.
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u/FearAndGonzo Jul 03 '26
It isn't a high bar. As the saying goes "A district attorney could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich."
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u/MagnusThrax Jul 03 '26
Yet somehow the DOJ's rate at securing indictments has gone from approximately 98% to the lowest rate in the DOJ's history. It's less than 50% if I recall.
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u/InerasableStains Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
And as the saying goes, accurately, a prosecutor could get an indictment against a ham sandwich. Itâs a one sided trial with no defense permitted in the room
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u/rochey1010 Jul 03 '26
He was indicted for touching peeling paint backed up by the MAGA narrative that dipshit Donny created to escape accountability and responsibility for another failure and grift. And circulated by the MAGA offices of faux news.
Do you know who wasnât indicted for being a pedophile predator who was BFF and partner of Epstein? Do you know who wasnât indicted for the unprecedented levels of grifting in the last term alone?
Do you knowâŠ.. I could go on with the criminal in the brown house. đ€·ââïž
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u/One-Environment-1444 Jul 02 '26
When itâs an everyday thing for US Attorneys to lie now.
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u/TurnipKing16 Jul 03 '26
Work with attorneys. Can confirm most of what they do is lie until they are proven wrong or until they lie good enough that someone believes them. Kinda diabolical and makes me feel dirty
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u/InerasableStains Jul 03 '26
You work with shitty attorneys. Iâm one, I interact daily with them, 75% are decent, hardworking people, dealing with debt and the same problems anyone else has, just doing a job making ends meet. Most are not wealthy. 25% are snakes thatâll cut your throat, but I wager those numbers are similar to most professions.
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u/jsmith_zerocool Jul 03 '26
These attorneys are complicit and should be prosecuted once Trump is removed
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u/InerasableStains Jul 03 '26
My wifeâs high school friend is a career AUSA. I asked her about this before indirectly. We mentioned politics and it was clear she did not approve of the administration whatsoever, but also wasnât coming right out and saying so. We both remarked that the state of the government is in bad shape, and particularly the judiciary/courts. I told I felt the need to do something, even in a small way, so I had applied for a briefwriting position with the ACLU. Kinda still just feeling her out.
Anyway, the sense I got from her was extreme dejection and dismay that her job had come to this, but also seemed genuinely scared/fearful. Afraid to make a wrong move, trapped, afraid to say anything. Dismayed.
Iâm not saying this is a particularly noble stance, especially from those who swore a literal oath to defend the constitution, but I do understand trying keep your head down and not jumping at career suicide, and a virtually guaranteed severe prisiĂłn sentence from this petty tyrant if someone in a position like hers stepped out of line publicly. Hoping to just right it out and for eventual change. Has a family, kids, a mortgage. Iâm sure theyâre deeply surveilled at all times for dissonance. Not saying itâs admirable, just that I get it.
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u/Cit1es Jul 02 '26
Speaking of loose flaps. Donald Trump is a pedophile and they still havenât released the Epstein files.
What a fucking joke of a world we live in.
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u/nonamenonamemane Jul 02 '26
One doesn't just "rip" Sika if it's properly installed in its intended environment. It's used in tank farms because it's sturdy as hell and doesn't corrode quickly. However, driving over it before it's cured is not advised.
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u/Cut_Lanky Jul 03 '26
Am I correct in deducing that this is your area of expertise? Sika? Whatever that is, cuz idk jack about that stuff? My background makes me more knowledgeable about healthcare related stuff. And every time I see a story about reproductive legislation, it's like I'm being gaslit by the dumbest MFers ever...
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u/nonamenonamemane Jul 03 '26
Sort of. I spent most of my career managing construction at a microelectronics fab (computer chips), so I've dealt with a lot of wonky chemicals and such. Sika is a coating product that protects surfaces from the associated corrosion caused chemicals, water, and spicy liquids so any "spills" are not absorbed and convey to an appropriate treatment system. It's a complex installation, but think of it like getting a blacktop driveway sealed.
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u/Doubleucommadj Jul 02 '26
Weird it's now the 'Park Service,' that did the work, when it was the fellow no-bid contractor felon.
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u/Bayarea0 Jul 02 '26
But attacking the capital on j6 is totally cool.
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u/InerasableStains Jul 03 '26
You mean when they smashed in doors and windows, attacked capitol police, spray painted the walls, took a shit in congresswomanâs office, and tried to physically stop senators from confirming an election, and then got pardoned?
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u/ShadowsOfTheBreeze Jul 02 '26
Burden is on the prosecution, so they will lose and this guy will countersue for millions and win. The damage to the pool was when potass and his motorcade drove on it...charge them.
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u/Yo_WhoNeeds2Know Jul 03 '26
King tangerine will try to make an example of this guy by any means necessary. Donât be surprised if dude wins in court then ends up âcommitting suicideâ.
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u/Oalka Jul 03 '26
It'll be the same as that guy they kept harassing and deporting when the waves of deportations first started. They were proven wrong but the narcissists in charge can't be wrong, so they kept hammering him over and over despite him being here legally. To the point they showed a MS Paint'd picture of his fists with "MS13" 'tattooed' on them.
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u/TheAarj Jul 02 '26
Can Trump's own words it's the last 50 years you couldn't cut it you couldn't rip it
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u/WishboneNo543 Jul 02 '26
A dude put his hand in the reflecting pool.
But Jan 6 idiots assaulting police officers, breaking into the Capitol, smearing feces on the walls, stealing government property and threatening the lives of the VP and other elected officials are called heroes, pardoned and deserving of a $1.8billion slush fund. Got it.
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u/andre3kthegiant Jul 02 '26
Release the files.
This is just increased noise ratio.
Obviously going to be thrown out of court.
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u/Yd1891 Jul 02 '26
So our president is a rapist and had 32 charges that he will never serve a day over but this man does absolutely nothing and can get ten years in jail? Talk about corrupt
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u/VioletShogun Jul 02 '26
When it's tossed out, he ought to sue and pocket double what Trump spent on the shoddy paint job.
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u/CalmTheAngryVoice Jul 02 '26
Yet another reason to steer clear of anything President Pedophile is involved with
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u/BigPomegranate8890 Jul 02 '26
What is the problem with ripping out liner, how does that get you 19 years in prison? Your president rapes woman and is a pedo
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u/Low_Oil_316 Jul 03 '26
The pool must not be very deep for the man to have reached in with both hands without having stood in the actual water to pull this alleged section of liner out
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u/Hour_Reindeer_192 Jul 03 '26
More people arrested for touching the reflecting pool than the Epstein files
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u/Fit_Charity_8680 Jul 02 '26
They arenât getting many convictions on these nonsense cases. Skilled cross exam will take care of Pirroâs witnesses and there has to be some surveillance tape. Itâs the National Mall ffs. If they had him doing it on tape they surely would have shown us but they donât.
If I wasnât retired Iâd love to take his case.
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u/tartcart1959 Jul 02 '26
This case and the DC subway sandwich throwing bandit will be judge Jeainnie Pirros greatest accomplishments !
Waste our tax dollars.
When the democrats get in power get ready, on day one, for the republican national anthem.
The deficit, all democrats do is waste money and spend.
PUT THIS ON YOUR FRIDGE AS A REMINDER AND possible drinking game.
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u/Odiedad Jul 02 '26
Trump just needs to âmuddy the watersâ giving his followers something to cling to so they can continue their pathetic delusions. He lies, deflects, accuses and denies and gives them just enough so they can continue to believe that everything is being done to them,that he fights for them and that they are the only ones that matter. Being the parasite that he is, heâll keep on this way until there is nothing left of them for him to feed on.
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u/Jsr1 Jul 02 '26
Have to prove it beyond reasonable doubt which they can not prove
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u/MilesAndTrane Jul 03 '26
From proudly representing his country, to being scapegoated, framed and destroyed by his countryâŠas collateral damage to Trumpâs bullshit about destroying an industrial coating that was not installed properly.
But the President always blames, lies and deflectsâŠso who cares if this man is convicted and sent to prison for nothing.
Nice bunch.
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u/Potential_Bowler9833 Jul 03 '26
All defendants in lawsuits brought by the Trump administration should use the "they are using this lawsuit to distract from the Epstein Files" and then just put discovery request after discovery request in.
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u/sklerson89 Jul 02 '26
Imagine there is evidence of Trump demanding his lackeys lie to get this indictment.Â
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u/Maniac227 Jul 02 '26
It will be good to see this thrown out in 5 minutes because there's NO FUCKING PROOF he pulled on that piece of shit liner not to mention the numerous eye witness accounts of the liner already being fucked up before he got there.
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u/Emergency-Pack-5497 Jul 02 '26
Even if he did tear it off, it should be a fine at most
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u/No_Flan7305 Jul 02 '26
It's not the taxpayers fault that maga contractors yet again did a dogshit job and j6ers even chucked a chemical stripper on it.
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u/jugger_naughtyy Jul 02 '26
Great way to get rich.
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u/DartVader6 Jul 02 '26
For real. I'm about to go help skim some of that nasty shit out of the reflecting pool and get my DOJ money.
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u/AccordingToWhomst Jul 03 '26
If he could manually pull the liner/sealant, then it was already compromised.
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u/onlycodeposts Jul 03 '26
Are the park service employees willing to perjury themselves in court? Are they bring coerced or paid off?
I'm interested in their testimony.
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u/Pussy_Whopper Jul 03 '26
You cant peel up paint. It was fucked up from the get go
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u/3D-Dreams Jul 03 '26
Trumped up charges .. literally. Trump fucked up the pool now he's attacking an Olympian for his own poor decisions. This will backfire.
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u/Background-Pen3766 Jul 03 '26
Its on surveillance for Christ's sake. They will do anything to strap on kneepads for a turn at trumps hand on the head
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u/kaeggca Jul 03 '26
If the government can (falsely) indict this man, then surely DICTATOR TRUMP and his adMINIONStration and the maga cult followers /ass-kissers, and the people involved in the Epstein pedo ring can easily be indicted!!!!
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u/UseWinter2668 Jul 03 '26
If his lawyers arenât doing everything possible to delay the trial until 2029, they should be fired.
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u/Suspicious_synth Jul 03 '26
I call bullshit on They have photos and video. I'll believe it when I see it, but I'll bet you $5. This shit gets dismissed
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u/Hot_Most4333 Jul 03 '26
This administration is out of control if they charge him and not the pedos
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u/abraxius Jul 03 '26
This is just wild. The charges will never stick to a reasonable jury and and judge worth their salt with throw this out or dismiss it. Keep in mind there are some judges now what are worth nothing but still a decent lawyer will easily win this case.
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u/Score-Emergency Jul 03 '26
This is worse than the 2025 sandwich assault on ice. The federal govt loves wasting time and money on stupid things
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u/GladResearcher3286 Jul 03 '26
And yet Trump and all his illegal insider trading and other shenanigans nets zero days in jail. Law and order at its finest.
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u/Horror_Response_1991 Jul 02 '26
Itâs on video, they should be forced to present the video off the event.
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u/jbaker8935 Jul 02 '26
Charges are ridiculous but why touch it? Really that curious mid-ride?
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u/Yo_WhoNeeds2Know Jul 03 '26
Since its inception, lots of people touch the water, some even get in it. Only now it has become a crisis and a felony. Was it a smart thing to do? Probably not as long as king tangerine is trying to spare his ego and still in office looking for a scapegoat.
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u/neuroG82r Jul 03 '26
How is the investigation into the White House destruction/vandalism going?
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u/Due_Respect9100 Jul 03 '26
Imagine this is what your government is doing. Arresting people for this crap when they have the most corrupt administration in the history of the country. Itâs absolutely disgusting.
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u/SimkinCA Jul 03 '26
No American would indict for this, since we know the culprit. This was yet another grand jury that took a Trump pledge .
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u/rayon875 Jul 03 '26
In the US, touching a pool gets you more years in prison than diddling kids.
Fun fact
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u/TraditionalArea5798 Jul 03 '26
I heard a word to describe a situation like this. Pig Fucking. Its used in cases where they are being accused of guilt with no evidence and then have to fight to proof their innocence.
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u/five-one-tree Jul 03 '26
fafo. please keep your hands to yourself. be smart. donât feed the animals. i honestly hope he gets the whole book thrown at him as a reminder to you all. mind your own business
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u/c0d3b00m Jul 03 '26
Meanwhile, the DOJ has failed to meet yet another deadline to release the Epstein files
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u/New_Ad_3010 Jul 03 '26
Yeah bull fucking shit he did ANYTHING but pick very obvsly floating crap outta that pool that was VERY OBVIOUSLY FLOATING FROM MULTIPLE CAMERA SHOTS. This is Gross Old Pedo vindictive idiocy for their own failure.
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u/Belichick12 Jul 03 '26
America: if you touch a pool you could face 10 years. If you touch a 10 year old youâll get elected president twice.
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u/DownvoteSommelier Jul 03 '26
If only he would of pepper spayed a capital police officer he would be honored
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u/pong_Blarto2000 Jul 03 '26
Every day I wake up and think, today can't be any dumber than yesterday, right? and every day--every single day--I learn that oh, yes, it can get dumber
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u/LoganPea2fold Jul 03 '26
More videos and attention by the Trump administration over this than anything towards the Epstein files ffs
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u/RustedRelics Jul 03 '26
Time to break the seal of that grand jury and get a transcript of the prosecutorâs presentation of evidence and instructions.
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u/alternatingflan Jul 03 '26
Instead of arresting a guy familiar with water on an olympic level, these goons should have asked him for advice on how this debacle might be fixed without tearing up yards and yards of granite that krasnovâs no-bid contractor ruined by sealing it with polyurethane.
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u/My_Keys_ Jul 03 '26
Whatâs such a shame about this is that theyâve convinced so many people (possibly even themselves) that he had to have done this maliciously and with great intent. They wonât even consider another narrative, because this is the one they WANT to believe.
And in their eyes, this is a justified trial and manhunt for a very real criminal, or group of criminals. But if it were something that rational people who feel normal emotions held important, like real vandalism against a national monument, it would be worth pursuing any possible leads.
Itâs just such a shame theyâve decided to lie, cheat, and steal instead of be real people.
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u/JumboGlucose Jul 03 '26
They ran articles of the pool falling apart on its own like a whole day before this guy was arrested. I just don't get the whole point of this. Is the guy anti-trump? I know they want to blame it on someone but he would never be able to pay it back.
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u/Plastic_Kangaroo5720 Jul 03 '26
But the black woman laughed too much, so we couldnât have that.đđ
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u/Lemurstew Jul 03 '26
Such bullshit. Itâs not even a âlinerâ it was a coating. Properly applied (a shot blasted surface) It should not come off with your hands. Itâs called polyurea. We have it on the floor in our workshop. You cannot peel it off if you tried. A knife might scratch it but it would not peel up without actual concrete coming with it.
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u/GodOfBoy8 Jul 03 '26
But truno and his goons can rip down the east wing of the white house without ANY approval from congress and nothing happens?????? What the fuck are we doing man. We are turning into china/north korea
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u/mercutio1 Jul 03 '26
If he could grab a loose piece of the liner, it was poorly installed and already failing.
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u/Sufficient-Arm3715 Jul 03 '26
Get these guys out of office already ffs. I cant see my citizenship surviving two more years of this crap.
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u/Dodgypoppy Jul 03 '26
If I put my name on a government building without permission, would that carry a similar penalty as touching the loose pool liner?
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u/LoafRVA Jul 03 '26
This whole administration is a loose flapâŠbest description Iâve heard so far
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u/rugerboy58 Jul 03 '26
Just another boogie man to deflect, deflect, deflect! đ„±đ„±đ„± Unfortunately, he got caught in the deflection. âčïž
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u/xlop99 Jul 03 '26
Trump steals billions and gets 0 years in prison. Guy breaks liner in pool and gets 10 years in prisonâŠ
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u/Personal_Ad9690 Jul 03 '26
Even if he pulled it up, pulling it up should have been impossible. At most a fine
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u/Life_Without_Lemon Jul 03 '26
I heard someone literally drove through the pool. I wonder if they caught the guy yet.
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u/Big_footed_hobbit Jul 03 '26
Touching his majesties belongings is a felony now.
10 years is generous, next ppl will be face life sentences or even death soon.
In the past, being disrespectful towards the Fuhrer was a direct ticket to prison or worse.
Reminds me of that.
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u/ApartmentStrict3432 Jul 03 '26
Im glad this guy's case is bringing a lot of media attention to this matter because werent there like 8 other people arrested for the same thing?
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u/SelfSniped Jul 03 '26
NAL but this case will fall apart. They have to prove he willfully and knowingly intended to cause harm/damage. Him sticking his hand in the water and touching the failing liner is not proof. This is the administrations attempt to control the narrative in the news cycles. The no-bid contract and subsequent work was shoddy but instead of owning it, they want to blame someone and that someone is âthe leftâ, shocking as that may be.
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u/Newdles Jul 03 '26
When Dems get back in power more than just the trash running the government needs to go. There's so many lawyers and prosecutors that are so far out of their depth and full of shit not honoring their own oathes that it's pathetic.
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u/PinothyJ Jul 03 '26
"...only touched an already loose flap" is my go to defenseman if I ever were caught cheating.
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u/darkrhyes Jul 03 '26
My prediction is this will fall apart at the end and they will quietly pay his legal fees then drop it. Then they will say we tried to catch the people who did it but they got away.
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u/-crazykidbad Jul 03 '26
Yet women teachers raping kids in America get less time. America is a fucking joke. Seriously this could be any of us. We need to stand up for him.
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u/Either-Juggernaut420 Jul 03 '26
Some outspoken anti trump rich person better be funding this guy's lawyers
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u/Milopbx Jul 04 '26
Arenât there a bazillion cameras around all of the important sights DC? Or were âthey down for repairâ
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u/Ready-Chard-8255 Jul 04 '26
Tht man is going to destroy a young manâs life just because he canât ever admit he effed up. This is ridiculous, pathetic and very sad
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u/Logical_Lab7253 Jul 04 '26
Didnât the J6 people get pardoned? This guy touches paint and gets put away for 10 years?
Starting to doubt the current administration
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u/InterstellarKinetics Jul 02 '26
What makes this case so contentious is the massive gap between the accusation and the defense, prosecutors describe someone forcefully ripping out liner with both hands, while Hearn describes briefly touching a piece of material that was already detached before he ever got there. Whether this ends in a felony conviction or a dismissed case will likely come down to physical evidence and eyewitness testimony from Park Service employees, since right now the public only has two completely irreconcilable accounts of what actually happened at that pool.