Doug Burgum Defends Charges Against Former Olympian For Allegedly Damaging Reflecting Pool
Jul 6, 2026
While taking questions from CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum spoke about charges brought against former Olympian David Hearn for allegedly damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
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Video Summary
AI GeneratedThe discussion centers on the legal case of Olympian David Hearn, who faces up to 10 years in prison for the alleged vandalism of a reflecting pool. While the defense claims he merely touched a piece of liner that was already damaged, the opposing view emphasizes that legal accountability applies to everyone regardless of their past achievements or status.
Can I just ask you about the vandalism?
There is an Olympian, David Hearn,
who was indicted for vandalism.
The maximum sentence is 10 years in prison.
He says he didn't do anything other than reach
into the reflecting pool and look at and pull out
and look at a piece of the liner that had already been cut.
Do you really think he should face a 10-year prison
sentence for doing this?
This is somebody who competed for America
and did extremely well there and is saying
he didn't do anything wrong?
You can be a former governor.
You can be a former this.
You can be a former that.
But just because you were a former something
doesn't exclude you from the law today.
Yeah, that's fair.
But he says he didn't do anything to actually hurt it
other than pick it up because it was already peeling.
He can say what he wants to say.
I wasn't there.
I was not an eyewitness.
I mean, the courts will decide.
But I think the law stands.
That is the law that exists.
And it should be, again, people are damaging
federal government property.
People are defaming our monuments.
They should face the consequences of that.
So the courts will decide.