A Washington judge on Thursday dismissed the reflecting pool vandalism case against former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hahn with prejudice, barring prosecutors from bringing similar charges again in the future.
In a court order, D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman said he was blocking the possibility of reopening the case due to the “exceptional circumstances” of the case, including “political pressure” from President Donald Trump.
Edelman noted that Trump, who earlier this year ordered renovations to the Lincoln Memorial pool, was furious after DCUS Attorney Jeanine Pirro moved to dismiss the case and acknowledged that the damage to the water system was caused by “defective equipment,” not vandalism.
President Trump continues to claim that vandals caused a gash hundreds of feet long in the pool’s protective lining.
“While all defendants face some degree of uncertainty regarding the possibility of re-prosecution after a case is dismissed, Mr. Hahn faces the unique possibility that the government will revive this case based on the political pressure exerted by the President of the United States on his subordinate officers, which has already been declared meritless,” Edelman wrote.
“The court respects the authority of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to decide which cases to prosecute and which to dismiss,” the judge said in the order, which Hahn’s attorney shared with CNBC.
“However, in the exceptional circumstances presented by this litigation, the government has no right to retain, or even threaten to do so, the ability to compound the mistakes it has already committed at Mr. Hahn’s expense,” Edelman wrote.
Mr. Hahn’s lawyer told Mr. Edelman last month that there was “no good reason” to keep the suit alive.
Hahn issued a statement late Thursday morning calling the biased termination “a victory for the rule of law and innocent Americans seeking justice.”
“This lawsuit should never have been filed in the first place,” the statement said. “What happened to Mr. Hahn is an outrage that should shock all Americans.”
The White House and Mr. Pirro’s office did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the judge’s order.
This is breaking news. Please refresh to check for updates.
