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PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   3532 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of August 3, 2026

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Charges have been dropped, by the Trump administration, in the most publicly embarrassing way possible, and we still have people in the comments endeavoring to be more Catholic than the Pope saying that it was definitely vandalism.

The tide is going out and we're finding out who was skinny dipping.

I find this to be the lowest form of commentary. Instead of making an argument you get to sit on the sidelines smugging that the other people making an argument look ridiculous. Without even having the courage to frame it as an argument to specific people that can then win or lose on its own merits.

At the self-appointed "only plan-truster on the Motte" I'll add then -- Trump himself didn't back down! Trump said that Pirro choked. The pope is still Catholic.

Did you read the motion? I just don’t see how the fact that there were issues with the construction means the multiple eye witness accounts were incorrect.

The prosecuting attorneys, who wrote the damn motion and are more familiar with the facts of the case than we are, despite their clear incentives both personal and from above to prosecute, thought that the shoddy workmanship undermined their case to the point that it was unprovable. The prosecutors publicly embarrassed themselves rather than proceed with the case. Because there was no possible way they could prove a crime here. Do you think that they put themselves in this position for fun?

Based upon the initial reports provided by the Department of the Interior (“DOI”) and the USS. Park Police (“USPP”), the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia (“USAO-DC’) presented the grand jury with evidence that damage to the Reflecting Pool was caused by vandals, including the defendant in this case, David Hearn, However, it was not until after the return of the indictment, that the DOI provided additional documents to the USAO-DC indicating that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June 2026 was the result of flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings (“AIC”), and the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026. It was not until after these documents were produced that USAO-DC first became aware of information showing that the damage was the result ofa botched installation and not vandalism as initially represented by DOI. Indeed, USAO-DC could only rely (on the information provided by DOI that the damage was entirely caused by vandals, including the defendant in this case, David Hearn, Because these recently-produced materials significantly undermine the evidentiary basis for the indictment initially supplied by the DOI and U.S. Park Police, the USAO-DC respectfully moves to dismiss the indictment without prejudice.

The motion consists of the prosecutors outlining at length why they think that the issues with the construction mean that the multiple eyewitness accounts are either incorrect or irrelevant to the indictment handed down. To defend the original indictment means asserting that one knows more than the prosecutors, or assuming that the prosecutors appointed by Trump, who were willing to work on the original indictment, have suddenly become part of a TDS conspiracy for...reasons.

Assumes facts not in evidence. The line prosecutors are likely all strongly anti Trump or think it’s a waste of time focusing on a relatively low level crime. The only person with skin in the game is the AUSA. So on the one hand her office is pissed at her and the judge is giving her grief and on the other hand her boss wants her to prosecute. She also knows she will lose the court regardless of the evidence given the jury pool.

It is a tough situation for the AUSA and because of that the paragraph you quote isnt necessarily indicative. If you read the motion, the paragraph you posted is incorrect. All the additional information provided is that at least some of the damage is attributed to poor construction. But the evidence is also consistent with vandals making it worse.

You can claim the prior portion of the motion was wrong but it means some of the motion is wrong. I would wager the evidence was described correctly and the conclusion is wrong.

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