> White House Asks Justice Department to Consider New Reflecting-Pool Prosecution

WASHINGTON—White House officials have asked the Justice Department to consider a new prosecution of a man accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to people familiar with the discussions, as President Trump fumes over U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s decision to drop the case.

A new prosecution of the defendant, Olympic canoeist David Hearn, would be highly unusual, especially after Pirro told a judge in surprising detail that the government’s decision to indict him on a felony charge was ill-informed. Pirro said a botched renovation, not vandalism, was responsible for the reflecting pool’s problems.

After White House outreach, Justice Department officials are exploring whether another type of case—likely based on misdemeanor allegations—is even possible.

The discussion comes after Todd Blanche spent weeks trying to parry Senate concerns that he was too willing to bend the Justice Department to Trump’s will.

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