Former Olympian David Hahn pictured outside Washington Superior Court on July 9, 2026.
Daniel Heuer | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Three-time Olympian and American canoeist David Hahn pleaded not guilty Thursday to a felony charge for allegedly ripping sealant off a reflecting pool on the National Mall in Washington.
Hahn’s lawyers later criticized prosecutors who obtained the charges against the 67-year-old, calling him a political “scapegoat” for the Trump administration’s controversial handling of the renovation of the nearly 2,000-foot reflecting pool.
“Mr. Hahn has pleaded not guilty because he is innocent,” attorney Noam Eisen told reporters outside D.C. Superior Court.
“If Mr. Hahn faces potential felony charges for touching the reflecting pool, all Americans are at risk, and all Americans should be vigilant about this prosecution,” Eisen said.
“In the United States, it is not a crime to touch reflective pools or water.”
Hahn’s supporters gathered outside the courtroom, holding signs that read, “Trump always blames others for his failures.” “Deflection Pool: Never Admit Failure” and “Drop Made-Up Accusations.”
Hahn, a resident of Bethesda, Maryland, was arrested on June 19 on misdemeanor charges after he stopped at a reflecting pool while riding his bike and tampered with the pool.
Hahn said he reached into the pool to see what a piece of blue liner looked like that had partially peeled off from the bottom of the pool.
However, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced on July 2 that a grand jury indicted Hahn on a felony charge of criminal damage to property, alleging he intentionally damaged two square feet of sealant.
“Park personnel observed Mr. Hearn actually forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner with both hands,” Pirro said at a news conference that day.
On July 7, 2026, the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which will be the setting for the Independence Day celebration “Salute to America,” will be dismantled by workers on the National Mall in Washington. July 7, 2026.
Kent Nishimura | AFP | Getty Images
Hahn is charged with causing damage of more than $1,000. He could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, but if convicted he is likely to receive a lighter sentence.
“The government’s evidence is weak,” Hahn’s other attorney, Mary Dorman, said during the court appearance, according to the Associated Press. Mr. Hahn did not have to post bail in this case.
President Donald Trump has made renovating the National Mall’s reflecting pool a top priority of his administration.
The project has been criticized by some over the government awarding a no-bid contract to a company linked to President Trump’s donors to work on the pool, which caused the new blue liner to peel off the bottom of the pool and turn the water green with algae.
President Trump and government officials have claimed, without evidence, that vandals cut a gash into the pool’s lining that spans hundreds of feet.
National Park Service officials said in a court filing that after renovations were substantially completed in early June, U.S. Park Police discovered that the “caulking over the foam sealant” in the pool had been “cut with a sharp knife or razor, destroying the peeling surface material.”
Hearn is not suspected of using a razor or knife.
“This indictment reflects the administration’s efforts to scapegoat Mr. Davie and shift responsibility for its own failures,” Eisen said outside court Thursday.
“This is a case that should never have been brought,” Eisen said. “Davie Hearn is innocent and we intend to fight this case and let the justice system do what is right.”
“We intend to vigorously litigate these matters,” Eisen said. “We trust our justice system to see through the abuse of government power against ordinary Americans based on a false, politicized narrative.”
