The Justice Department’s inspector general has declined to investigate how prosecutors handled the case against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, who was cleared of accusations that he intentionally damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to a letter from his lawyers released Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
The watchdog told Hearn’s attorneys that their misconduct allegations fall under the department’s Office of Professional Responsibility, not its own jurisdiction.
The lawyers urged Inspector General Don R. Berthiaume to reconsider, writing that declining an independent review “would risk undermining public confidence in the Department’s ability to police its own conduct.”
Sources: AP via KTAR News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
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