President Donald Trump on Monday sharply criticized interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro after her office dropped federal charges against a former Olympian and two co-defendants accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington. Speaking to reporters, Trump said Pirro had "folded like an umbrella" after a judge questioned the government's case, arguing that prosecutors should have continued pursuing the matter. He did not indicate whether he planned to replace Pirro but made clear he disagreed with the Justice Department's handling of the prosecution.

Federal prosecutors sought dismissal of the case after the Department of the Interior provided evidence showing the damage to the recently renovated reflecting pool resulted from construction defects rather than intentional vandalism. Court filings cited engineering reviews and project records indicating problems with the installation of the pool's liner and other aspects of the renovation. The new findings prompted prosecutors to conclude they could no longer support the criminal allegations originally brought against the defendants.