
The District of Columbia US Attorney, 75, has dismissed the claims of vandalism in a court filing on Friday, July 31, and stated that the damage to the Reflecting Pool was a “botched installation” from a contractor. Following that, all charges against the four people accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool were dropped. Donald Trump has publicly blasted Pirro for actions in the alleged vandalism case. He maintains that the lawyer is mistaken and that it is vandalism. Trump also claimed Pirro “choked” and that she “folded like an umbrella.”
On CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins on Monday, August 3, the reporter noted the “stunning” U-turn Pirro made as she once parroted that the Reflecting Pool was vandalized.
The 34-year-old journalist also mentioned that CNN caught Pirro and Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum entering the White House separately for a meeting, with Pirro leaving an hour later.
It’s not known what happened in the meeting, but Collins said CNN learned that Pirro was not fired nor did she offer her resignation during the meeting. Collins added that they know Pirro’s court filing “pits” her against Trump but “also against the public comments of Karoline Leavitt, Doug Burgum, and yes Jeanine Pirro.”
The CNN anchor played a clip of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaking on Fox News in June 2022 about the Reflecting Pool renovations and the alleged vandalism.
Leavitt said:
“The vandalism is very real, despite what [Minnesota Governor] Tim Walz wants to say, it’s an imaginary problem. No, it is not, it’s a very real problem.”
Collins then played a clip of Doug Burgum speaking with Dana Bash on CNN on July 5, saying:
“[The paint] didn’t peel off. There was vandalism. There were box cutters. There’s been seven arrests and they were pretty literally trying to destroy part of the monument.”
The final clip was of Jeanine Pirro on Fox News on July 2, discussing the DOJ’s charging of the vandalism suspects. She said:
“Not only is it vandalism that is reflected in today’s indictment, but there is a cutting of the liner of the pool, at the base of the pool, for several yards across the pool. And someone was intent on doing incredible damage to the pool.”
However, Pirro stated in the court filing that her office had received information:
“showing that the damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism as initially represented by [Department of Interior].”
She also assigned some blame to Trump for his demand that the renovations on the Reflecting Pool be completed by America’s 250th birthday on July 4.
Pirro wrote:
“The rush to complete the project led to hasty and botched work that was not remediated before the project was finished and the fencing removed.”
