Peeling paint, the reflecting pool and the case Trump can't let go
8 min•10 augusti 2026
President Trump's Department of Justice walked away from the case against David “Davey” Hearn.
Prosecutors charged Hearn with vandalism in relation to peeling paint in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The charges have since been dismissed.
But President Trump can't let the case go .
Trump continues to insist it was so-called vandalism that led to peeling paint and blooming algae on the National Mall reflecting pool – not a botched repair project as prosecutors ultimately concluded.
What's it like to have the President beat the drum for your arrest?
This episode was produced by Jason Fuller and Linah Mohammad, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. Our director is Kai McNamee.
Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning who also edited today’s episode along with Patrick Jarenwattanon.
For tickets to a live taping of Sources & Methods, NPR’s national security podcast, visit this link on or after Tuesday, August 11: npr.org/sourcesliveshow
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Prosecutors charged Hearn with vandalism in relation to peeling paint in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The charges have since been dismissed.
But President Trump can't let the case go .
Trump continues to insist it was so-called vandalism that led to peeling paint and blooming algae on the National Mall reflecting pool – not a botched repair project as prosecutors ultimately concluded.
What's it like to have the President beat the drum for your arrest?
This episode was produced by Jason Fuller and Linah Mohammad, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. Our director is Kai McNamee.
Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning who also edited today’s episode along with Patrick Jarenwattanon.
For tickets to a live taping of Sources & Methods, NPR’s national security podcast, visit this link on or after Tuesday, August 11: npr.org/sourcesliveshow
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
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