New Actor: House Democrats investigate DOJ over Hearn case

House Democrats opened an inquiry into the Justice Department’s prosecution of David Hearn over the Reflecting Pool damage. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, sent letters to D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum asking whether prosecutors pushed a felony case while evidence already showed the pool’s new liner was failing from bad installation, not vandalism.

The letters seek all records on the charging decision, the evidence shown to the grand jury, and any communications among Justice, Interior and the White House. Raskin also asked Justice to make two witnesses named in grand jury materials available for transcribed interviews. The probe follows the government’s move to dismiss the case after acknowledging the liner failure.

Interior had notified contractors about peeling a week before Hearn’s arrest, but prosecutors did not receive that information until after the indictment. Raskin is also examining whether Interior misled prosecutors and whether a no-bid contract of about $15 million went to the company that applied the blue coating. Both departments now face a congressional inquiry into what they knew before the arrest and indictment.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources