# Blanche Backs Pirro After Trump Criticism Over Pool Case 2026-08-16T16:28:15+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets US Attorney General Todd Blanche has publicly backed Washington DC prosecutor Jeanine Pirro after President Donald Trump criticised her handling of an alleged vandalism case at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. “I absolutely support US Attorney Pirro, as does President Trump,” Blanche said on NBC’s Meet the Press. Pirro sought dismissal of charges against former US Olympian David Hearn, saying peeling material at the pool resulted mainly from flawed contractor work and incomplete information from the Interior Department. Trump has blamed vandals and urged Pirro to revisit the decision. Blanche said Trump was entitled to feel frustrated, but judging Pirro on one case was unfair because prosecutors lacked sufficient proof. Pirro’s office has separately charged a Kentucky woman over alleged graffiti at the World War II memorial. The White House has asked the Justice Department to examine potential new charges. Blanche also declined to promise that the department would operate independently of the White House, while saying he would prosecute without fear or favour. ## Coverage - livemint.com - hindustantimes.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-16T21:16:24+00:00. Tags: Donald Trump, Jeanine Pirro, Todd Blanche, US Justice Department, Washington DC Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/blanche-defends-dc-prosecutor-pirro-after-trump-anger-over-pool-case/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/blanche-defends-dc-prosecutor-pirro-after-trump-anger-over-pool-case/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/