Former Olympic canoeist David Hearn‘s legal team is pushing back hard against allegations he vandalized the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool … insisting his arrest was completely unwarranted and is being used as a distraction from the botched renovation.

Hearn’s attorneys tell TMZ the allegations don’t hold water, saying …”Treating ordinary conduct as criminal diverts attention from the real questions of how this project was managed, including its corrupt no-bid contracting process.”

The former athlete’s lawyers took a swipe at President Trump too … “Using the criminal justice system to target innocent people as a form of distraction is textbook authoritarian behavior.”

As we reported … Hearn — a three-time U.S. Olympian in canoe slalom — was arrested Friday by U.S. Park Police after authorities accused him of damaging government property at the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

According to The Washington Post, Hearn had stopped during a 52-mile bike ride to check out the Reflecting Pool following its recent $16 million renovation … reaching into the water to touch a piece of partially detached pool liner.

Authorities allegedly believed Hearn damaged part of the property and arrested him on a misdemeanor destruction of government property charge.

Hearn has denied the allegations from the start … telling the newspaper he spent roughly five hours in custody before being released Friday night … and maintaining he never destroyed, peeled off, or damaged any portion of the Reflecting Pool.

The arrest has sparked controversy, particularly given Hearn’s claim that he was merely observing the site when police intervened. For now, the case remains pending, and prosecutors will ultimately determine whether the allegations move forward in court.