Justice Department watchdog declines to investigate handling of Reflecting Pool case, lawyers say

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Department of Justice's inspector general has declined to investigate the handling of the criminal case against a former Olympian cleared of accusations that he intentionally damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to a letter Wednesday from the man's lawyers.

What happened

For context, the internal watchdog informed David Hearn's lawyers that the allegations of professional misconduct that they produced fall outside its jurisdiction and are instead within the purview of the department's Office of Professional Responsibility, according to the letter. It urges Inspector General Don R. Berthiaume to reconsider the decision.

"Given the substantial public attention devoted to this matter, and the significant questions raised concerning the conduct of federal authorities, declining independent review would risk undermining public confidence in the Department's ability to police its own conduct. Such a result would be inconsistent with the purposes for which Congress established the OIG and would be a betrayal of its mission, " the letter notes.

The bottom line

For now, justice Department watchdog declines to investigate handling of Reflecting Pool case, lawyers remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.