Justice Department watchdog declines investigation into former Olympian Reflecting Pool case

The Justice Department inspector general has declined to investigate the handling of the case against David Hearn, a former Olympic athlete accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The Washington Examiner, AP News, The Independent, CBS News, and CoastTV all reported that the internal watchdog turned down the request. The decision has prompted lawyers for David Hearn to call for an independent review into alleged misconduct by federal officials. [1][2][3][4][5][6]

The Washington Examiner reported that the internal watchdog declared the allegations fall outside its jurisdiction. According to the same outlet, the inspector general stated that the matter instead belongs to the Justice Department Office of Professional Responsibility. CBS News reported that prosecutors falsely charged David Hearn in the Reflecting Pool case, where he was previously accused of tearing the lining of the pool. [1][5]

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is a concrete bottomed pool measuring 2,028 by 167 feet on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It holds about 4 million US gallons of water and sits between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. [7]