A United States senator has published a whistleblower complaint alleging that allies of President Donald Trump mismanaged renovations at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to please the president's “aesthetic whims.”
On Saturday, Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island released a letter addressed to the Kennedy Center's leadership, conveying the accusations. They include claims that the Kennedy Center, under Trump, bypassed standard procedures for awarding government contracts and approved unnecessary or faulty projects.
“These are not isolated lapses but a single pattern that runs counter to everything the Center has told Congress it would do with the public's money,” Whitehouse wrote. “Instead of pursuing renovations tailored to the building's actual needs, the Center rushed a series of renovations driven by the President's aesthetic whims and his desire to star in a series of televised events in December.”
That month, Trump hosted the FIFA World Cup final draw and emceed the Kennedy Center Honors. To prepare, Center officials worked “in unusually close consultation” with Trump's White House, according to the whistleblower report.
The complaint details that Trump objected to the gold-colored columns outside the complex, preferring them painted white. However, “Trump's preferred contractor cut corners when repainting the Center's columns,” resulting in steel columns “rusting through the new white paint.” Painting began in August with no written contract; a $4.4 million deal was awarded later. Repairs are estimated at $1.5 million.
In another case, Trump-appointed leadership tore up newly installed bathroom tiles because the president “didn't like the color.” The Center's reflecting pool is now “unevenly painted and rusting” after a hasty cosmetic revamp.
Whitehouse wrote that management “set aside contracting rules to hit the President's deadlines, telling staff, ‘We'll deal with the lawsuits later.’” One contractor with no experience in concert halls was awarded $8 million.
Whitehouse accused the Trump administration of wasting taxpayer money and called for a full accounting. A court ruled in May that Trump's name had to be removed from the building, citing Congress's authority over the Kennedy Center.
Source: www.aljazeera.com