U.S. Attorney for Washington D.C. Jeanine Pirro suggested Sunday that ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl could potentially face legal consequences after a video surfaced showing him touching the peeling paint of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
During an appearance on Fox News’ The Sunday Briefing, anchor Peter Doocy asked Pirro whether Karl was “in trouble” over the footage, referencing a social media post by President Donald Trump.
“President Trump’s got a crime stoppers tip for you,” Doocy told Pirro. “He says, ‘lightweight ABC reporter Jonathan Karl was seen sticking his hand into the pool and trying to rip the rubber off the surface.’ Judge, is Jonathan Karl from ABC in trouble?”
Pirro did not dismiss the possibility of an investigation or charges, emphasizing that the administration is prioritizing the maintenance and security of the nation’s capital.
“Well, you know, it depends,” Pirro responded. “Anyone who is in a position of vandalizing — or attempting to vandalize — the reflecting pool will face the criminal justice system in D.C. Look, the president has made it a priority to make D.C. not only safe but beautiful. And there are several citations that have been handed out to individuals. And these are cases that will be prosecuted to the full extent.”
Pirro added that authorities would look into whether more severe damage was being done to the water quality. “If there are more serious products that are put into the reflecting pool to create more algae or a bigger problem, then we’ll consider more serious charges,” she said. “But make no mistake, making D.C. beautiful is a priority. And if you damage, vandalize, or do anything to impact something like the reflecting pool, you can be prosecuted.”
The incident follows a string of public statements from Trump, who claimed that law enforcement has stepped up arrests at the site to combat what he describes as coordinated vandalism. Trump defended the multi-million dollar overhaul of the historic landmark, which has recently drawn public scrutiny and mockery due to rapid structural and water quality issues.
“Many additional people have been arrested having to do with the disgraceful Vandalism of our beautiful Reflecting Pool,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It hasn’t looked or worked like this since 1922, when it was originally built, but even then, it leaked badly, and didn’t work. Ours worked perfectly, including the mirror like finish, perfectly reflecting the two Great Monuments, which it never had before! What these terrible Vandals have done is a true affront to both Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and should be dealt with accordingly.”
The $14.2 million remodel, which Trump announced in late April to address the pool’s “filthy” condition, was finished in early June. The project included waterproofing the pool’s floor and applying a custom “American Flag blue” paint selected by the president. Within days of completion, however, the pool developed thick algae blooms, prompting the Interior Department to deploy hydrogen peroxide and nanobubble treatments. Shortly after, chunks of the new blue paint began peeling off the bottom and floating to the surface.
Karl is not the first person to draw law enforcement scrutiny over the peeling paint. On Friday, 67-year-old David Hearn, a former U.S. Olympic slalom canoeist, was arrested by U.S. Park Police and held for nearly five hours on a charge of destruction of government property after touching a piece of the floating debris.
Hearn denied the allegations of vandalism in an interview on Saturday. “I didn’t vandalize anything,” Hearn said. “I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.” Hearn stated that he only reached into the pool to pick up a piece of paint that had already detached.
In addition to the issues inside the pool, Trump previously reported that authorities are investigating an incident where the numbers “86 47” were etched into the grass of the National Mall. Trump and his allies have interpreted the phrase as a threat against his presidency. On Saturday, Trump noted that officials had met with contractors and would “probably be forced to release and drain much of the water” to conduct immediate repairs on the facility. The National Park Service has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the ongoing investigations or the total number of arrests made.
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