WASHINGTON — A three-time U.S. Olympian got cuffed at the Lincoln Memorial after allegedly yanking a hose from park workers trying to fight off algae in President Trump’s flashy new reflecting pool renovation, the latest headache for the $14 million taxpayer-funded project.
David Hearn, 67, a decorated whitewater canoeist who competed in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Olympics, was arrested Friday by U.S. Park Police on a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property.
Hearn insisted he was just an innocent bystander who’d wrapped up a 52-mile bike ride and wandered over to check out the gleaming new blue liner. He told The Washington Post he only touched a loose piece that was already floating in the water.
“I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything,” Hearn claimed. “By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.”But conservative journalist Emily Miller, who was right there filming, told a different story. Her video shows Hearn grabbing a hose being used by female National Park Service workers battling the algae bloom in the freshly coated pool.
The dramatic arrest comes as Trump’s pet project, a vibrant “American flag blue” sealant meant to beautify the historic site and keep the algae at bay. has been plagued by peeling liner issues almost from the moment the water was turned back on.
Administration officials have blamed vandals for some of the damage, ramping up patrols with Park Police and National Guard members around the national monument. Multiple arrests have already been made.
Hearn, a Bethesda, Maryland, resident and former world champion paddler, is due back in D.C. Superior Court on July 9.
The reflecting pool overhaul was supposed to be a signature win for the Trump administration ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary, fixing leaks, cleaning up decades of grime, and turning the iconic site into a proper showpiece.
Instead, it’s become a magnet for drama, with critics pouncing on every loose flap of blue liner while supporters say it proves the need for tougher enforcement to protect American landmarks.
