US Attorney General backs Pirro after Trump criticises Lincoln Memorial case
Todd Blanche defends Jeanine Pirro’s decision to drop vandalism charges against former Olympian David Hearn
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Photograph: United States Department of Justice via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
What this story says
- US Attorney General Todd Blanche publicly backed Jeanine Pirro after President Donald Trump criticised her decision to dismiss vandalism charges at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
- The Trump administration spent $14.7 million renovating the Reflecting Pool ahead of Fourth of July celebrations, but the project faced issues including algae blooms and peeling material.
- Blanche said Pirro should not be judged on a single case and that a witness claimed to have observed vandalism, though the charges were dropped without prejudice.
- The White House has asked the Justice Department to examine potential new charges related to the alleged vandalism.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 15 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 16 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
74/100
Craft
58/100
Hype
22/100
16 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 1 of the 15 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
US Attorney General Todd Blanche defended Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., after President Donald Trump criticised her decision to dismiss vandalism charges related to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The case involved former US Olympian David Hearn and others, who were accused of damaging the newly renovated pool.
The Trump administration had fast-tracked a $14.7 million renovation of the Reflecting Pool ahead of the nation’s Fourth of July celebrations. Within weeks, an algae bloom developed, and material at the bottom of the pool began peeling off. Pirro initially filed charges but later sought their dismissal, citing "flawed" contractor work and incomplete information from the Interior Department. Trump publicly urged Pirro to revisit her decision.
Blanche, who was narrowly confirmed as attorney general earlier in August 2026, said on NBC’s "Meet the Press" that he supported Pirro and that Trump also backed her. He acknowledged Trump’s frustration but said Pirro should not be judged on a single case. A witness claimed to have observed vandalism, though Blanche said the evidence did not support prosecution. The White House has since asked the Justice Department to examine potential new charges.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated digests mentioned the $14.7 million cost of the Reflecting Pool renovation. The left-rated digest and two of the centre-rated digests did not mention the White House’s request for the Justice Department to examine potential new charges.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 6 times, most recently on 17 Aug 2026, 03:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
1 rated outlet
- The single left-rated digest, from Mediaite, led on Blanche’s description of Pirro’s performance as "phenomenal" despite Trump’s criticism. It did not mention the $14.7 million renovation cost or the White House’s request for a review of potential new charges.
Centre
7 rated outlets
- All six centre-rated digests carried Blanche’s defence of Pirro and his acknowledgment of Trump’s frustration. Five of the six mentioned the $14.7 million renovation cost, as reported by the Hindustan Times. None of the digests included Pirro’s claim that the pool’s issues stemmed from "flawed" contractor work or the Interior Department’s incomplete information.
Right
7 rated outlets
- The six right-rated digests all led on Blanche’s defence of Pirro and his statement that it was "not fair" to judge her on a single case. Four of the six mentioned Trump’s frustration with the dismissed charges. None of the digests mentioned the $14.7 million renovation cost or the White House’s request for a review of potential new charges.
Read it at the source
16 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
1Centre
7- Blanche Defends Reflecting Pool Prosecutor Who Angered Trump (opens Bloomberg in a new tab)
- Blanche defends reflecting pool prosecutor who angered Trump (opens Fortune in a new tab)
- US Attorney General defends colleague after Trump’s reflecting pool slam (opens South China Morning Post in a new tab)
South China Morning Post — is South China Morning Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Attorney General Blanche publicly backs Pirro after Trump criticism over Reflecting Pool (opens Reuters in a new tab)
- US Attorney General Blanche publicly backs Pirro after Trump criticism over Reflecting Pool (opens WTVB in a new tab)
- US Attorney General Blanche publicly backs Pirro after Trump criticism over Reflecting Pool (opens Hindustan Times in a new tab)
Hindustan Times — is Hindustan Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Blanche defends DC reflecting pool prosecutor who angered Trump (opens The Columbian in a new tab)
The Columbian — is The Columbian biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
7- Todd Blanche backs Jeanine Pirro after Lincoln Memorial pool vandalism case dismissal - NEW YORK TIMES POST (opens nytimespost.com in a new tab)
nytimespost.com — is nytimespost.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Todd Blanche backs Jeanine Pirro after Lincoln Memorial pool vandalism case dismissal (opens Fox News in a new tab)
- Blanche defends DC reflecting pool prosecutor (opens Boston Herald in a new tab)
Boston Herald — is Boston Herald biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Minister of Justice Defends Charges After Trump Criticism in Basin Case (opens BT in a new tab)
- US Attorney General Blanche publicly backs Pirro after Trump criticism over Reflecting Pool - Regional Media News (opens regionalmedianews.com in a new tab)
regionalmedianews.com — is regionalmedianews.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Blanche defends Pirro, says it's 'not fair' to judge US attorney on 'single case' (opens Washington Examiner in a new tab)
Washington Examiner — is Washington Examiner biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Blanche defends DC reflecting pool prosecutor who angered Trump (opens ArcaMax Publishing in a new tab)
ArcaMax Publishing
Not rated
1Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover US Attorney General backs Pirro after Trump criticises Lincoln Memorial…?
- Of the 15 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 7% are rated left, 46% are rated centre, 47% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 16. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is US Attorney General backs Pirro after Trump criticises Lincoln Memorial… left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 15 rated outlets on this story, 7% are rated left, 46% are rated centre, 47% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of US Attorney General backs Pirro after Trump criticises Lincoln Memorial… biased?
- US Attorney General backs Pirro after Trump criticises Lincoln Memorial case is one event reported by 16 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting US Attorney General backs Pirro after Trump criticises Lincoln Memorial…?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered US Attorney General backs Pirro after Trump criticises Lincoln Memorial…?
- 16 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Why did Jeanine Pirro dismiss the vandalism charges?
- Jeanine Pirro sought to dismiss the charges after blaming "flawed" contractor work for the Reflecting Pool’s issues and accusing the Interior Department of providing incomplete information. The case was dropped without prejudice, meaning charges could be refiled. (42 words)
- How much did the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation cost?
- The Trump administration fast-tracked a $14.7 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool ahead of Fourth of July celebrations in 2026. The project later faced issues including algae blooms and peeling material. (38 words)
- What did Todd Blanche say about Jeanine Pirro’s handling of the case?
- Todd Blanche said Pirro was doing a "phenomenal job" and should not be judged on a single case. He acknowledged President Trump’s frustration but said the evidence did not support prosecution at the time. (34 words)
- Did the White House ask for new charges in the Reflecting Pool case?
- Yes, the White House asked the Justice Department to examine potential new charges related to the alleged vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after the initial charges were dismissed. (28 words)
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