‘Golden crime scene’: Elizabeth Warren calls for investigation into Trump hall financing | Elizabeth Warren
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said the incoming independent Justice Department “should investigate” the private donations that funded construction of the new White House ballroom.
Warren – the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee – told the Guardian in a statement that the hall could be a “golden crime scene” and urged the incoming administration to “follow the money” to uncover “whether any crimes were committed” in its financing.
“Government officials and corporate executives should read the law: The statute of limitations is five years for federal bribery charges,” Warren added, noting that a future Justice Department may still be on hand to launch an investigation.
This week, she also co-sponsored a bill with Robert Garcia — the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee — that would impose donation restrictions on the Ballroom Project, which saw the entire East Wing of the White House demolished.
The administration recently revealed the list of companies that have donated to Donald Trump’s ballroom project — which now costs $300 million. This included many technology giants such as Apple, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Google; and defense contractors Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, and Palantir, as well as telecommunications giants such as T-Mobile and Comcast.
Last month, the president hosted a dinner for representatives of billionaire companies and individuals who have made significant contributions to the renewal process. Many corporate donors already work with the administration, rely on large government contracts, or may benefit from preferential legal treatment. Ethics experts have warned that their donations could provide them with too much influence or preferential treatment from the White House.
“The highest office in the land should never be up for sale, nor should it ever seem that way,” Virginia Kanter, senior counsel and director of ethics and anti-corruption at Democracy Defenders Action, said in a statement.
“Americans should not wonder whether President Trump is building a ballroom to facilitate a pay-for-political favors scheme,” Warren said of the bicameral legislation earlier this week. “The new bill will put an end to what looks like bribery in plain sight.”
Meanwhile, Garcia said it is “disgraceful” that the People’s Assembly is “funded by shady personalities, corrupt money and bad actors.” He added that the Stop Bribery in Dance Halls Act “will ensure our ability to hold any administration accountable for blatant corruption.”
The legislation includes a ban on donations that pose a conflict of interest, sets a two-year “cooling-off” period before a project donor can lobby the federal government, forces donors to disclose any meetings with the federal government within a year of their contribution, and requires Congress to approve any donations from foreign governments. The scope is not limited to the White House grounds, but also extends to the Vice President’s residence, Camp David and Air Force One.
However, the bill will face an uphill battle in both Republican-controlled chambers, and is unlikely to pass. It’s the latest attempt by Democrats to learn more about the details of who is funding the auditorium project. Last month, Warren I sent a message To the Trust for the National Mall — the bipartisan nonprofit responsible for private fundraising for the ballroom project — to request specific details about the nature and amount of contributions. The fund appears to be “a vehicle for politicized fundraising, influence peddling, and donor access to President Trump,” she wrote.
The foundation’s president, Katherine Townsend, wrote, insisting that her organization “manages” donations and “does not solicit” donors for the project. She added that the fund had no role in the “planning, design or construction” of the new ballroom, but under federal law, it could not provide lawmakers with donor names or identifying information.