House Democratic subcommittee report outlines web of alleged corruption, wire fraud and pay-to-play schemes
Donald Trump staged a hostile takeover of the US’s 250th anniversary celebration to enrich political allies, harvest voter data and promote Christian nationalist ideology, according to a congressional investigation released on Thursday.
The interim report, “From Vanity to Insanity: How the White House Cheated the American People Out of Their 250th Birthday”, outlines a web of alleged corruption, wire fraud and pay-to-play schemes orchestrated through a shadow corporation embedded within the National Park Foundation (NPF).
The document was produced by Democratic staff of the House of Representatives’ natural resources committee’s oversight and investigations subcommittee. It has not been officially adopted by the committee.
“Under President Donald Trump, this anniversary has been hijacked and perverted into a hotbed of corruption and self-enrichment,” it states, contending that 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.”
Remember, Trump is a symptom of a deeper and older problem. Maybe we should take this anniversary and reflect on the various ways we’ve screwed up. The 200th was different, as we did have lots of the same issues festering, but there was a feeling of hope to better ourselves. Now we know that was delusional and we should have done some serious housecleaning instead of being so gullible.