Stalin
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2008
- Messages
- 3,859
who can be surprised that the artistic philistines frump has illegally installed at the JFK center have wasted no time in perverting the mission
In November Whitehouse, the top Democrat on the Senate environment and public works (EPW) committee, launched a formal investigation into allegations of widespread cronyism, financial mismanagement and corruption at what he describes as a “secular temple to the arts”.
Democrats on the committee said they obtained documents that suggest the national cultural centre is being operated as a “slush fund and private club for Trump’s friends and political allies”, resulting in millions of dollars in losses and a significant deviation from its statutory mission.
Whitehouse sent a letter to Grenell demanding detailed documents and records. Grenell issued a fiery response accusing the senator of “partisan attacks and false accusations”. He claimed that neglect by the centre’s previous leadership left it in “financial chaos” and was “quite literally making the building fall apart”.
Whitehouse, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board, remains undeterred and determined to press on with his investigation. Speaking in his office on Capitol Hill, he explained: “We began to get information about mischief taking place at the Kennedy Center and we got strong enough signals that we mounted an effort to dig into it and see what seemed actually to be going on.
“It was out of that effort that the report and letter came, which basically suggested that, when the brigands took the ship, their first instinct was to loot it for their own benefit and hire their friends and put people up in fancy rooms at the Watergate [Hotel] and let favoured organisations get free access and it was all part of a Maga party atmosphere.”
...
Contracts reveal steep rental discounts were provided to conservative groups: NewsNation received a $19,820 discount for a town hall event; the American Conservative Union Foundation received a $21,982.60 discount for a CPAC gathering entitled The Christian Persecution Summit. The contract file explicitly notes “waived costs from OOP” (the Office of the President).
Whitehouse added: “If they weren’t paying the proper ordinary Kennedy Center rates, they’re being given a benefit and those benefits seem only to be going towards groups that are affiliated with Trump and Maga. It’s basically a direct way to use this public facility to put money into the pockets of groups that are allied.”
The investigation also uncovered lucrative contracts awarded to individuals with personal or political ties to Grenell and his allies.
On 14 April the centre entered into a $15,000-per-month contract with a former colleague of Grenell’s from his time as ambassador to Germany. The letter states the contract is “devoid of any detail”, and there is no evidence of substantive speeches that would justify the payments.
In his letter to Whitehouse, Grenell defended the hiring, describing his former colleague as an “accomplished editor, researcher and writer” whose work on a special exhibit was “100%” covered by a donor who gave $10m to the Center.
In May the centre awarded a $10,833.33-per-month contract to Jeff Halperin, the husband of staunch Trump ally Kari Lake, for “social media capture/editing” services. In his response, Grenell praised Halperin for his “incredible multimedia expertise”.
www.theguardian.com
we can expect the Arts Center to end up like his casinos
comrade stalin
moscow
In November Whitehouse, the top Democrat on the Senate environment and public works (EPW) committee, launched a formal investigation into allegations of widespread cronyism, financial mismanagement and corruption at what he describes as a “secular temple to the arts”.
Democrats on the committee said they obtained documents that suggest the national cultural centre is being operated as a “slush fund and private club for Trump’s friends and political allies”, resulting in millions of dollars in losses and a significant deviation from its statutory mission.
Whitehouse sent a letter to Grenell demanding detailed documents and records. Grenell issued a fiery response accusing the senator of “partisan attacks and false accusations”. He claimed that neglect by the centre’s previous leadership left it in “financial chaos” and was “quite literally making the building fall apart”.
Whitehouse, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board, remains undeterred and determined to press on with his investigation. Speaking in his office on Capitol Hill, he explained: “We began to get information about mischief taking place at the Kennedy Center and we got strong enough signals that we mounted an effort to dig into it and see what seemed actually to be going on.
“It was out of that effort that the report and letter came, which basically suggested that, when the brigands took the ship, their first instinct was to loot it for their own benefit and hire their friends and put people up in fancy rooms at the Watergate [Hotel] and let favoured organisations get free access and it was all part of a Maga party atmosphere.”
...
Contracts reveal steep rental discounts were provided to conservative groups: NewsNation received a $19,820 discount for a town hall event; the American Conservative Union Foundation received a $21,982.60 discount for a CPAC gathering entitled The Christian Persecution Summit. The contract file explicitly notes “waived costs from OOP” (the Office of the President).
Whitehouse added: “If they weren’t paying the proper ordinary Kennedy Center rates, they’re being given a benefit and those benefits seem only to be going towards groups that are affiliated with Trump and Maga. It’s basically a direct way to use this public facility to put money into the pockets of groups that are allied.”
The investigation also uncovered lucrative contracts awarded to individuals with personal or political ties to Grenell and his allies.
On 14 April the centre entered into a $15,000-per-month contract with a former colleague of Grenell’s from his time as ambassador to Germany. The letter states the contract is “devoid of any detail”, and there is no evidence of substantive speeches that would justify the payments.
In his letter to Whitehouse, Grenell defended the hiring, describing his former colleague as an “accomplished editor, researcher and writer” whose work on a special exhibit was “100%” covered by a donor who gave $10m to the Center.
In May the centre awarded a $10,833.33-per-month contract to Jeff Halperin, the husband of staunch Trump ally Kari Lake, for “social media capture/editing” services. In his response, Grenell praised Halperin for his “incredible multimedia expertise”.
‘Their first instinct was to loot’: how Trump’s acolytes are plundering the Kennedy Center
Sheldon Whitehouse, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board, remains undeterred and determined to press on with his investigation
we can expect the Arts Center to end up like his casinos
comrade stalin
moscow
