Government Contractors, Tobacco and Tech Fund White House Demolition
Washington, D.C. — As the wrecking ball falls on the East Wing of the White House, today the White House released a list of three dozen of the donors who have pledged or donated to fund the demolition and the construction of a $300 million “Golden Ballroom.”
The Golden Ballroom donors include CEOs, billionaires and real estate moguls along with 22 corporations ranging from defense contractors (Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin) and the tobacco industry (Altria, Reynolds American, Inc.) to telecommunications (Comcast), transportation (Union Pacific Railroad), and energy (NextEra Energy). The list also includes tech and crypto companies such as Ripple and Coinbase, both of which were facing federal investigations or enforcement actions at the beginning of this year but were subsequently dropped by the Trump Administration. According to reports, at least some donors are expecting to be rewarded by having their names permanently “etched in the ballroom’s brick or stone.”
“Demolishing the East Wing is bad enough but carving the names of corporations and billionaires into the White House walls would mark a permanent scar on the People’s House,” said Jon Golinger, Public Citizen democracy advocate.
Also today, House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia and Representatives Yassamin Ansari and Jared Huffman sent a letter to President Trump demanding that the White House provide documents and communications about the Golden Ballroom project, including the specific amounts donors have donated, agreements signed by donors in exchange for their donations and all documents and communications between the White House and the Trust for the National Mall, the nonprofit charity serving as the conduit for donations to fund the project.
According to a news report, the donor pledge form for the Golden Ballroom Project states that the Trust for the National Mall is taking a 2.5% cut on each donation and stands to collect more than $6 million in fees for administering the tax-exempt donations to fund the project.
“Trump is demonstrating his corruption with demolition. Money buys access and influence and in this case a long-term presence on the White House wall. This is easily understood and blatantly disgusting.” said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen.