Former US Olympian David ‘Davey’ Hearn has pleaded not guilty to vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool during a court appearance in Washington DC.

Hearn is accused of causing $1,000 (£750) worth of damage to the pool. He faces a charge of felony destruction of property.

President Donald Trump has blamed vandals for damage to the newly applied liner at the bottom of the pool. Hearn was arrested last month after touching some of the material, telling BBC News at the time that it had already “delaminated”.

“If Mr. Hearn can be charged with a felony for touching the reflecting pool, all Americans are at risk,” said Norm Eisen, one of Hearn’s attorneys, speaking outside court Thursday.

“It is not a crime to touch the Reflecting Pool, to touch the water, in the United States of America,” he said.

Hearn, 67, a three-time Olympic canoeist, is due in court on August 5.

Authorities say Hearn was seen putting his hand in the water last month after renovations to the pool.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro alleged last week in announcing the indictment against Hearn that he “torn” a piece of the newly installed sealant in a “deliberate act” to cause damage on June 19.

Hearn previously told the BBC that he “did not destroy, rip, tear, peel or remove any part” of the painting.

Five people have been arrested for vandalism in connection with the Reflecting Pool, according to the U.S. Park Police, and five others have received federal citations.

Hearn’s lawyers have accused the Trump administration of bringing charges against their client in an effort to shift the blame for the site’s problem-plagued makeover.

This spring, the Reflecting Pool underwent a multimillion-dollar sealing and painting project.

The monument has long been beset by structural failures and leaks, and Trump has defended the project as part of his bid to beautify the capital city.

But despite the renovation, which cost an estimated $13 million (£9.8 million), the pool remained plagued by algae and chunks of the blue sealant came off within days.

National Park Service official Frank Lands said in a court filing last month that the liner along the bottom of Reflecting Pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor sometime around June 9.