By Robin Respaut
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 16 (Reuters) – U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Sunday that he backs top Washington, D.C., prosecutor Jeanine Pirro, who was criticized by President Donald Trump for the way she handled a case of alleged vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
“I absolutely support U.S. Attorney Pirro, as does President Trump,” Blanche said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” program.
The Trump administration fast-tracked a renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool ahead of the nation’s Fourth of July celebrations, at a cost of about $14.7 million. Within weeks an algae bloom developed and material at the bottom of the pool started peeling off. Federal authorities subsequently charged former U.S. Olympian David Hearn and others with vandalism.
In a court filing asking for the case against Hearn to be dismissed, Pirro blamed the Reflecting Pool’s peeling issues on “flawed” work by a contractor and accused the Interior Department of providing incomplete information at first. Trump subsequently posted that Pirro should revisit her “hastily made decision” to drop the case.
Blanche said he does not fault Trump for being frustrated over the matter, adding that a witness said they observed vandalism.
“That’s different than whether ultimately we have the proof… I think judging her on a single case because of the evidence that we had is not fair,” he said.
The White House has asked the Justice Department to examine potential new charges related to the alleged vandalism at the newly renovated pool.
“U.S. Attorney Pirro is doing a phenomenal job enforcing that, going after anybody who’s doing it,” Blanche said.
Blanche was narrowly confirmed to be Trump’s attorney general earlier this month by U.S. Senate Republicans after bipartisan concerns over Blanche’s independence. During his interview on Sunday, he refused to say that the Justice Department would operate independently of the White House.
“No, I’m not going to pledge that,” Blanche told NBC, but said he would act with integrity and “prosecute without fear or any sort of favor.”
(Reporting by Robin Respaut; Editing by Sergio Non and Nia Williams)
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