Some philanthropists seeking to support America’s 250th anniversary celebrations were misled into paying out their donations to a partisan initiative backed by the White House, House Democrats have alleged.
The donors had meant to contribute to America250, a congressionally-chartered board founded a decade ago. But instead they were given routing and account numbers that directed funds to Freedom 250, President Trump’s own organizing effort established last December, according to Democrats from the House Natural Resources Committee.
The lawmakers made their claims in a new report published Thursday in which they declined to name the donors or whistleblowers they interviewed as part of their investigation.
However, they have said their report exposes some of the strategies employed by Trump officials to turn a bipartisan celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States into a lucrative opportunity for the president’s allies.
“I’m a lawyer, and I know better than to pronounce that a crime has been committed,” California Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman told The Washington Post. “But I do know the elements of fraud, and there is evidence of all those elements here.”
Huffman threatened to investigate the matter further if his party succeeds in flipping the House of Representatives in November’s midterm elections.
“If and when we have more tools at our disposal to do investigation and oversight, perhaps in the next Congress you will see a lot more information on this, I’m sure,” he said.
The Independent has reached out to the White House for comment. The president has busily promoted Freedom 250 events in his public remarks but rarely mentioned America250.
The Trump-backed public-private partnership was behind the UFC fight at the White House last month and the president’s trip to North Dakota Wednesday to open the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and has organized D.C.’s fireworks display for Independence Day.
Some elements of the anniversary festivities originally intended to be overseen by America250, such as the “Freedom Trucks” sent out to serve as mobile museums, have ended up being run by Freedom 250, which has allowed it to present a more positive version of American history through its offerings.
For the most part, the two organizations are understood to have found a way to coexist by agreeing that America250 would have a broad responsibility for events in cities around the country, whereas Freedom 250 would take charge of displays and festivities in D.C., although the agreement has not stopped tension and confusion developing.
According to the report, those problems have meant that some corporate executives seeking to make donations did not understand the difference between the two groups, a situation not helped by Freedom 250 allegedly reaching out to America250 sponsors asking for donations to their operation.
The House Democrats behind the report also accuse the Trump-backed organization of steering public funding away from their congressional rival, meaning the latter lost out on some $75 million it had expected to receive.
The loss of capital meant America250 was struggled to carry out its planned programs and suffered “significant headwinds,” forcing it to engage in additional private fundraising activities to make ends meet.
