In New Report, House Democrats Claim Trump Hijacked 250th Anniversary Events

Congressional Democrats are accusing President Trump of hijacking the country’s 250th anniversary celebration, which they say has been “perverted into a hotbed of corruption and self-enrichment.”Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee released an interim report Thursday alleging the machinery built for a national commemoration was converted into an apparatus for raising and spending money “in service of the President’s ego, political ideology, and pet projects.”Congress, in 2016, established America250, an independent, nonpartisan semiquincentennial commission, to organize celebrations in honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.The Democrat’s report, titled “From Vanity to Insanity: How the White House Cheated the American People Out of Their 250th Birthday,” claims that when America250 pushed back against administration demands that it throw “spectacles” focused on promoting Mr. Trump, the White House created an alternative organization, Freedom 250, that is housed in the National Park Foundation.America250 organizers say that following the establishment of the rival organization, they shifted their focus to events outside of Washington, D.C., leaving the new group to manage events in the nation’s capital, including the Great American State Fair and an Ultimate Fighting Championship card at the White House.“Donald Trump’s hijacking of America’s 250th birthday will go down as one of the most corrupt, brazen abuses of public trust in presidential history, even by the dubious standards of this administration,” the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, Jared Huffman, said in a release.Requests for comment were not immediately returned by the White House or Freedom 250. However a Freedom 250 spokeswoman, Rachel Reisner, said in a statement to USA Today on May 28 that the organization is “dedicated to uniting Americans around the nation’s 250th anniversary.”“Freedom 250 is focused on our signature celebrations and events that honor our history and engage all Americans — welcoming all who share our goal of commemorating this milestone in a way that uplifts and unites America,” Ms. Reisner was quoted as saying.Among the unproven claims in the House Democrats’ report is that Freedom 250 may have conducted wire fraud by luring unsuspecting donors who intended to support America250 to instead donate to the new group by giving them Freedom 250 bank information.The report claims that corporations interested in sponsoring anniversary events were directed to the Trump-backed group over the nonpartisan commission. It also charges that Americans’ private, personal information has been harvested by Mr. Trump’s allies for political purposes.The Great American State Fair Concert was cited as an example of a deceptive event. Freedom 250 recruited a roster of performers, including Morris Day, Young MC, Milli Vanilli, the Commodores, Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, C+C Music Factory, Flo Rida, and Vanilla Ice for what they believed would be a non-partisan event. Most withdrew after receiving social media backlash when the ey learned the event was a Trump-backed endeavor and not connected to the non-partisan America250. Young MC called the booking a “bait and switch.”The concert was scrapped and Mr. Trump announced he would hold “the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all,” instead.The Democrats also claim that Christian nationalist ideology was injected into anniversary events with the creation of federally funded “Freedom Trucks” that allegedly used revisionism and falsehoods to influence schoolchildren. “Loose logo licensing let Freedom 250 brand deeply racist merchandise under the government’s banner,” the report states.The report relies on disclosures from unnamed sources and internal Freedom 250 documents.America250 officials say their group remains heavily involved in arranging celebratory events outside of Washington.“As the national organization charged by Congress to represent all 350 million Americans (“350 for 250”), America250 will continue to focus on the values-based programming approved by our bipartisan Commission at the local, state, national and international levels, including once-in-a-lifetime celebratory moments during the 4th of July weekend,” the chairwoman of America250, Rosie Rios, said in an emailed response.“We are supportive of the many other organizations planning events for the 250th at the federal, state and local level, so all Americans have ample opportunities to join in the celebration,” Ms. Rios said.

In New Report, House Democrats Claim Trump Hijacked 250th Anniversary Events

In New Report, House Democrats Claim Trump Hijacked 250th Anniversary Events

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