Fox News gave sparse coverage to President Donald Trump's Oval Office criticism of the network's former star host Jeanine Pirro, who now serves as US Attorney for the District of Columbia.
Pirro previously hosted Justice with Judge Jeanine on Fox News and was one of five permanent co-hosts on The Five. Trump appointed her to the US Attorney post last year after his initial pick, Ed Martin, could not be confirmed because of Republican senator holdouts.
Most recently, Pirro's office dismissed its case against 67-year-old former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, who had been accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC.
Trump expressed his frustration during a press conference on Monday, raising his voice to say he was disappointed with Pirro, that she "folded like an umbrella," and that people get away with things, calling it a disgrace.
Charges dropped against Hearn
Pirro moved to drop all charges against Hearn in a 20-page court filing that revealed investigations into the pool determined the damage was the result of a flawed installation by the contractor and the rush to complete the project in time for Trump's America 250 celebration. The filing states that given the newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to vandalism, let alone establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.
Trump has maintained, without evidence, that the damage to the reflecting pool was caused by vandals. At the press conference he said Jeanine Pirro made a mistake and that there was vandalism.
How Fox covered the comments
Fox News aired the press conference live but did not immediately replay Trump's critical comments about the network's former host, unlike CNN and MS NOW. Anchors Sandra Smith and John Roberts instead moved on to discuss Iran, followed by WNBA players' remarks about transgender athletes and coverage of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's policies.
The live press conference ended around 2:40pm, and it was roughly three hours and 20 minutes later before Fox mentioned Trump's comments about Pirro.
Around 6pm ET during Special Report, Trace Gallagher, sitting in for Bret Baier, told correspondent Lucas Tomlinson that the president had had some tough words for his US Attorney in Washington, Jeanine Pirro.
Tomlinson responded that Trump had said in the Oval Office that Pirro folded like an umbrella after she dropped charges against three individuals connected to the vandalism claims at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, including Hearn. The segment then cut to a clip of Trump saying Pirro choked and that a judge was extremely unfriendly and had gone after her and her department. Tomlinson added that Pirro's office said there was no evidence of vandalism, instead calling it a botched installation. Fox provided no further coverage of the president's criticism for the rest of the day.
Hearn disputes the accusations
Hearn told the Daily Mail last month that his arrest and the charges were a farce intended to boost a false narrative, sharing an image of the pool's damaged facade. He said it was a completely unfounded accusation and a lie, and that he did not rip, tear, destroy or harm any part of the reflecting pool in any way.
Hearn admitted to touching a loose flap of coating but said he did so purely out of curiosity as a concerned citizen.
The $16 million renovation
Trump championed a $16 million renovation of the Reflecting Pool as part of his goal to beautify Washington DC ahead of America's 250th anniversary. Less than two weeks after the project was completed, the newly refinished paint job began peeling and algae blooms turned the water green, prompting Trump to admit the pool may need to be drained for repairs.
Hearn said they clearly wanted a news story they could promote centered around vandals damaging the reflecting pool, and that officers were ready to arrest him and other people they found so they could have some contrived basis of charges to accuse them of vandalism.
Hearn pleaded not guilty last month to one felony count of property destruction and had a trial scheduled to start September 28 in DC Superior Court before the case was dismissed. He faced a maximum prison sentence of 10 years if convicted, having been accused of causing at least $1,000 in damage to the pool.
