President Trump Hasn’t ‘Made a Determination’ About Jeanine Pirro’s Job Status After Tense Meeting

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro brought a box full of evidence to the White House on Monday, August 3, in an attempt to convince President Donald Trump that shoddy construction — not vandalism — caused the damage to the Reflecting Pool.

The New York Times reported that Pirro, 75, confronted Interior Secretary Doug Burgum during the meeting, raising her voice and accusing him of misleading President Trump, 80, about what caused the Reflecting Pool damage in an effort to hide his department’s responsibility.

The confrontation unfolded during an Oval Office meeting that multiple outlets described as tense. The meeting was “sometimes heated,” according to a CBS News report published Tuesday, August 4. It occurred just hours after Trump had publicly rebuked Pirro for dropping criminal charges against Olympic canoeist David Hearn.

Hearn, 67, was arrested in June after authorities alleged he reached into the National Mall’s Reflecting Pool to remove floating paint chips, an act they claimed punctured the pool’s liner and caused significant damage.

Pirro was later photographed leaving the White House carrying a large white box and other bags that, CBS News reported, contained evidence collected from the Interior Department exculpating Hearn and several others.

President Trump had accused Pirro of folding “like an umbrella” after her office filed a motion Friday dismissing the felony case against Hearn, per the report. In that motion, prosecutors blamed the Interior Department for withholding evidence, saying new information showed the damage was caused by a “botched installation” by a contractor rather than vandalism.

According to an article ABC News published on Wednesday, August 5, President Trump has not ruled out firing Pirro, telling reporters, “I haven’t made a determination,” when asked if her job is safe.

“The judge was extremely unfriendly to Jeanine. And frankly, I think she choked because the judge was really vicious. Instead of going after the people that did it, the judge went after her and went after her department and I guess she choked,” Trump said, per the article, referring to the judge overseeing the case.

ABC News reported that Pirro’s 20-page filing alleges the contractor’s flawed installation was responsible for the damage and cites June 11 National Park Service communications showing officials had already raised concerns about the peeling pool liner before Hearn’s arrest.

Trump acknowledged the contractor may share some blame, saying, “So now I’m not saying I was 100% thrilled with the contractor, but the contractor was rushing. We wanted to get it open for July 4th, and we got it done. But in addition, there was vandalism,” per the outlet.

For now, the Reflecting Pool remains drained and fenced off from the public.