DOJ watchdog declines investigation in Reflecting Pool case

CBS News and The Independent report that the Justice Department's inspector general, Don Berthiaume, will not look into alleged misconduct by prosecutors in the case against former Olympian David Hearn, who was charged and later cleared over damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Hearn's lawyers say the inspector general concluded the matter falls outside his jurisdiction and sent it to the department's Office of Professional Responsibility. The lawyers contend that office is less independent and has shrunk by roughly 50% under the Trump administration, a point CBS News reports. The Independent adds that the office answers to the deputy attorney general and attorney general and need not report findings to Congress, according to CBS News · The Independent.

Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, denied harming the pool's lining and said he had reached into the water during a 64-mile bike ride. Prosecutors under U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro dropped the case after evidence indicated he was not responsible, and a judge dismissed it permanently on Oct. 1. CBS News says his lawyers, who include former inspector general Michael Bromwich, cite a grand jury witness who changed testimony after a 21-minute break, and allege possible witness tampering and obstruction of justice.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CBS News · The Independent and The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at CBS News · The Independent → Also at The Independent →