After his Reflecting Pool vandalism case is dismissed, David Hearn looks for closure

David Hearn (second from left) and his attorney Norman Eisen (right) addressed reporters after he entered his not guilty plea on July 9 in Washington, D.C. Rod Lamkey/AP hide caption

A judge agreed to drop the federal government's vandalism case against former U.S. Olympian David "Davey" Hearn and three others last week, after months of accusing them of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

But Hearn's legal fight isn't over yet: Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman has yet to weigh in on whether it could potentially be reopened later.

"We feel strongly this case should be dismissed for once and for all," Hearn's lawyer, Norm Eisen, told NPR's All Things Considered on Monday. "Davey is an innocent man. He shouldn't have to go through this a second time."

Prosecutors have sought the dismissal of the case "without prejudice," allowing them to potentially refile in the future. Hearn's lawyers are asking the judge to dismiss his felony charge "with prejudice," to close the case for good.

"From day one, the case against Mr. Hearn was motivated by political considerations and devoid of adequate factual support," his lawyers wrote in a 28-page motion filed last week. "Those political pressures have not dissipated in the mere four weeks since the government saw fit to obtain the indictment."

In the days since federal prosecutors moved to have Hearn's case dismissed , President Trump has railed against Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, accusing her of "folding like an umbrella."

And he has repeated his claims that vandals damaged the lining of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, contradicting evidence from Pirro's 20-page legal filing that blamed the peeling lining on "botched installation."