Congressional Democrats hit wall in requests for Trump ballroom information

Watch Video Trump administration defends ballroom renovations as lawmakers call for transparency Congressional Democrats have written at least eight letters seeking information about President Trump s million ballroom project So far those oversight requests have yielded limited substantive responses from the administration and a nonprofit involved in the project The top Democrat on the Oversight Committee Rep Robert Garcia of California received no response to his letter seeking architectural plans budgets and a donor list according to committee staffers Sen Adam Schiff has been similarly ignored His letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles regarding donors and ethics concerns went unanswered Democratic Sen Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts sought details around the ballroom s financing In a letter to the National Park Provision and the Trust for the National Mall Warren requested the source and amount of any donations or pledges and questioned the ballooning cost of the project Catherine Townsend president and CEO of the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall responded to Warren in a letter explaining that the Trust is managing the private donations gifted to backing the project but it s not involved in the ballroom s planning or design Townsend explained the trust complies with federal nonprofit laws but donor names and identifying information are not subject to constituents disclosure and we strictly adhere to those confidentiality requirements to protect our donors privacy The National Park Function did not reply to Warren s inquiry according to her office Townsend referred further questions to the White House If the Trust for the National Mall has become a tool for favor-seeking between billionaires and the President of the United States the American people deserve to know Warren explained I ll keep pushing to find out if the Trust is facilitating wink-and-nod arrangements between Trump and his billionaire ballroom donors and what these donors are getting in return Democrats lack subpoena power so their letters amount to requests for information The White House may volunteer information in response but it s under no legal obligation to comply It was not at once clear whether the executive shutdown has impacted the White House s ability to respond to congressional outreach Last week Rep Jamie Raskin of Maryland and House Democrats sought the White House to explain its efforts to preserve artifacts in the now-demolished East Wing A spokesperson for Raskin noted the congressman received no response from the White House by Thursday s deadline A White House spokesperson had no comment when required about complying with Democratic oversight Source