Letters to the Editor | Aug. 9, 2026

It is unfortunate that former Olympian David Hearn cannot hold Donald Trump and District of Columbia U.S. Attorney and Trump stooge Jeanine Pirro personally liable for his indictment under what now clearly appears to be false pretenses.

When the administration was looking for a scapegoat to shift the responsibility for its botched Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool project, Mr. Hearn was the victim, charged with felony vandalism because he was seen placing his hand in the water.

Pirro said at the time that Hearn ripped up recently installed sealant on the pool in “a deliberate act” that caused more than $1,000 in damage. She accused him of “forcefully and violently” pulling up the bottom liner “with both hands” and acting belligerently toward an employee who told him to stop. “This is a case with tremendous evidence,” she said, adding that authorities have made about six other misdemeanor arrests. Now, she has to eat crow as an untrustworthy administration has to admit it was wrong. Mr. Hearn is innocent.

Tell us, Mr. President, how it is that only Democrats engage in the weaponization of government?

Oren Spiegler, Peters Township

When we debate U.S. military aid to Israel, the conversation often misses a crucial economic reality: This “foreign aid” is overwhelmingly domestic aid.

By 2028, 100% of the regular military assistance the U.S. provides to Israel must be spent right here at home. This isn’t cash handed over to a foreign government; it operates like a line of credit strictly for American manufacturing.

When Israel acquires defense systems, the funds go directly to U.S. aerospace and defense companies. In fact, more than 1,000 companies across 47 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico hold contracts worth billions through this program. This sustains American jobs nationwide, from major assembly lines in California and a new Iron Dome manufacturing facility in East Camden, Ark., down to small subcontractors across the country.

As a concerned American, I believe we need a clear-eyed debate about our foreign policy. Whatever your stance, we should get the facts straight. The billions we authorize don’t get shipped overseas — they stay right here, supporting American workers and reinforcing our industrial base.

Bob Fleischman, Philadelphia

Republican Sen. Rand Paul wants Anthony Fauci to go to prison for lying to Congress and destroying documents. Does he want Fauci in a medium- or maximum-security prison? Or would he settle for a cushy “Club Fed,” like Ghislaine Maxwell is in? And what good would it do to imprison an 85-year-old man, who should have a suspended sentence if convicted because of his age? The junior senator from Kentucky lacks any sense of the double standard that would exist for Fauci, who served his country for 50 years, is locked up, while a sexual predator like Maxwell enjoys a cushy imprisonment courtesy of Todd Blanche.

George Magakis Jr., Norristown

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