‘She folded like an umbrella’: Trump weighs replacing Pirro after Reflecting Pool fallout: Reports
President Donald Trump is escalating his public criticism of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro as CNN and the Wall Street Journal report say he is considering replacing her after her office moved to drop the highest-profile criminal case tied to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool investigation.
The president sharpened those attacks Monday, while also acknowledging he was not entirely satisfied with the contractor responsible for the $14 million renovation.
Pirro dismisses Reflecting Pool case
Last week, Pirro’s office asked a judge to dismiss the felony case against former Olympian David Hearn, saying newly released evidence shows the widespread damage to the pool was largely caused by a flawed, rushed installation, not vandalism.
The judge has not yet ruled on the government’s request to dismiss the case against Hearn. His attorneys say they’re considering their next legal steps.
Since then, prosecutors have also moved to dismiss three related misdemeanor cases.
The filings directly contradicted months of claims from the Trump administration that vandals were responsible for the damage, and immediately drew criticism from Trump, who questioned Pirro on Truth Social.
“I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro,” Trump wrote last week. “I don’t know what she was thinking?”
Trump doubles down
The president renewed those criticisms Monday, making it clear he still believes Pirro got it wrong.
“I was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro, really disappointed with Jeanine Pirro,” Trump said Monday. “She, she folded like an umbrella. And people get away with things, and it’s a disgrace.”
According to Politico’s Playbook, Pirro visited Trump at the White House following those remarks.
CNN, citing sources familiar with the matter, reports Trump was caught off guard by Pirro’s decision and is now considering replacing her as the top federal prosecutor in Washington. The Wall Street Journal also reports the Trump has discussed removed Pirro, saying he told advisers he felt betrayed by her decision.
Even so, Trump acknowledged the Reflecting Pool project itself was not without problems.
“I’m not saying I was one hundred percent thrilled with the contractor,” Trump told reporters. “We wanted to get it open for July 4th and we got it done. But in addition, there was vandalism.”
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
