Blanche defends Pirro, says it’s ‘not fair’ to judge US attorney on ‘single case’
Attorney General Todd Blanche defended U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s decision to dismiss charges against former olympian David Hearn related to vandalism at the Reflecting Pool, citing evidence suggesting the damage resulted from a botched renovation rather than intentional vandalism. Blanche emphasized that it was unfair to judge her based on a single case and supported her actions,acknowledging President Trump’s frustrations with the outcome. While Pirro moved to dismiss the case, Trump criticized her publicly, leading to speculation about her job security. Blanche also noted that vandalism on the National Mall remains an ongoing problem, highlighting recent felony charges against a woman accused of defacing the WWII Memorial. He expressed support for Pirro’s efforts to enforce laws against vandalism of national monuments.
Attorney General Todd Blanche defended U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s decision to drop the Reflecting Pool vandalism charges against former Olympian David Hearn last month while acknowledging President Donald Trump’s frustrations with the outcome of the case.
Asked by NBC News host Kristen Welker whether he stands with Pirro or Trump on the issue, the newly installed attorney general refrained from siding with one party more than the other.
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“I absolutely support U.S. Attorney Pirro, as does President Trump,” Blanche said on Meet the Press on Sunday morning. “Now that’s different than whether the president is extraordinarily frustrated at what happened in that case, and I don’t in any way fault him for that.”
“Judging her on a single case because of the evidence that we had is not fair,” he added later in the interview.
On July 31, Pirro’s office moved to dismiss the indictment against Hearn after evidence from the Interior Department showed damage to the Reflecting Pool was caused by a botched renovation rather than intentional vandalism. Trump disagreed with Pirro’s decision and called on her to revive the case, which she has not done.
Trump’s social media tirade against Pirro fueled speculation that she was about to be fired. Over two weeks later, Pirro remains the top federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C.
Speaking on Meet the Press, Blanche suggested that not “all of the damage was done by faulty construction.” Welker pushed back on that claim, prompting further clarification from the attorney general.
“There was potential vandalism, and we know that there was vandalism because there’s witnesses. That’s also in the brief that you’re citing,” he told Welker. “That there’s witnesses that talked about the fact that there was vandalism.”
Blanche went on to say that one witness stated they observed the defendant damaging the Reflecting Pool, but he noted that Pirro conceded the Department of Justice may not have had all the proof to determine Hearn committed vandalism as alleged.
Regardless of the findings in this one case, Blanche said vandalism on the National Mall is a recurring problem, as was made evident at the World War II Memorial last week.
PIRRO UNVEILS FELONY CHARGES AGAINST SUSPECT IN ‘DESPICABLE’ WWII MEMORIAL VANDALISM
Pirro charged a 41-year-old Kentucky woman named Melissa Farris after the memorial was defaced with red graffiti and its central Rainbow Pool was filled with a substance that caused excessive bubbling. Pirro called the vandalism a “despicable attack” on the “sacred monument.” The felony charges, which carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison, were filed for depredation against U.S. property and destruction of veterans’ memorials.
“This is horrible what’s happening in our nation’s capital with some of these really, really sick people vandalizing our national monuments,” Blanche said. “U.S. Attorney Pirro is doing a phenomenal job enforcing that, going after anybody who’s doing it.”
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