David Hearn, Olympic canoeist arrested for allegedly vandalizing Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in D.C denies defacing monument and being made political scapegoat.
A former US Olympian was arrested for allegedly vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington DC.
David Hearn, a three-time Olympic canoeist, was cycling past the monument on Friday when he claimed stopping upon noticing a piece of the pool’s liner floating in the water.
Hearn, 67, alleged reaching out and touching the ‘detached piece’ before being taken into custody by Park Police at the monument site.
Exclusive! RAW VIDEO. Man arrested for vandalizing Lincoln Reflecting Pool. He grabbed the hose that female National Park Service workers were using to clear the algae. Police and National Guard responded. Watch pic.twitter.com/oMIXFqKwEs
— emily miller (@emilymiller) June 19, 2026
Former Olympic canoeist denies vandalizing monument
Viral video captured moments of Hearn’s arrest.
‘I didn’t vandalize anything,’ Hearn told The Washington Post. ‘I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs,’ he said.
‘I reached in there, and I was able to grab the end of that flapping piece, the already peeling piece. It was still attached to the bottom. I didn’t remove anything,’ he explained.
The Bethesda, Maryland, man claimed being drawn to check out the Reflecting Pool because of its newly installed ‘American flag blue’ liner, which has been deteriorating amidst an algae bloom.
D.C. residents and tourists spotted pulling chunks & large strips of paint
The former Olympian’s arrest comes as D.C. residents and tourists have been spotted pulling chunks and large strips of paint.
Hern adanantly denies breaking any part, telling wusa9, ‘I can tell you that no, I didn’t take anything away. There wasn’t any part of that that was damaged by my hand.’
Hearn says he has since received death threats and believes he is being made a political example because of the high-profile nature of the controversy surrounding the reflecting pool.
The pool has become an object of scorn after President Donald Trump’s efforts to renovate the monument which has had a history of ongoing issues.
Posited one social media commentator; ‘The Trump Administration is so upset about the whole pool thing they are going to start arresting anybody who even looks at the pool wrong whether than admit it was a big disaster. The project failed, moving on now.’
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool timeline of ongoing issues
Hearn competed in the Whitewater Slalom Canoe in the Summer Olympics in 1992, 1996, and 2000.
He also won Gold at two World Championships in 1985 and 1995 and came away with silver medals five times.
In 1995, Hearn was honored as USA Canoe Kayak Male Athlete of the Year.
He was detained for almost five hours at a Park Police facility in Hains Point.
He is scheduled to appear in DC Superior Court on July 9 to face a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property.
Donald Trump responds to alleged vandalization blaming ‘radical leftists’
President Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to castigate that incident and others.
The President wrote: “The algae is 75% gone, and the condition will soon be completely remedied, and the area that was vandalized, fortunately, is just a small area of damage, and will be fixed early next week. It’s a shame that the Radical Left Lunatics, most likely Dumocats, who have spent their lives trying to ruin our Country, are free to do so. Law Enforcement is actively investigating this situation, and will hopefully have it resolved soon. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Reports now suggest that the renovations could cost millions more than the initial estimate.
