Dems move to set limits on Trump’s donor-funded White House ballroom, claiming ‘bribery in plain sight’
Democrats are seeking to put limits on private donations to foot the bill for President Donald Trump's new White House ballroom amid what they say are bribery concerns. Trump announced...
By Fox News · Fox News
Democrats are seeking to put limits on private donations to foot the bill for President Donald Trump's new White House ballroom amid what they say are bribery concerns. Trump announced in October that construction had started on the ballroom — leading to the demolition of the White House’s historic East Wing — and would be privately funded at an estimated cost of $300 million. That was up from the $200 million estimate first provided in July when the project was unveiled. But Democrats are concerned the donors — including individuals and other organizations — are footing the bill for the project because they are seeking something in return from the Trump administration, and recently introduced legislation to try to curb it. Although the White House released a list of the donors in October, Democrats, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Adam Schiff of California, claim that additional oversight is needed and that the White House has not identified all donors, while others have been granted anonymity. TRUMP JR. BLASTS IRONY OF ‘INSANE’ DEMOCRATIC MELTDOWN OVER WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM PROJECT Among those who’ve donated to the ballroom project are Google, Apple, Meta Platforms, Amazon, Microsoft and Lockheed Martin. As a result, lawmakers argue that those who’ve contributed to the project could be doing so to curry favor with the administration, setting up a "pay-to-play" relationship with the Trump administration. Specifically, lawmakers pointed to Google agreeing to a $22 million settlement with Trump in September, stemming from Trump’s censorship lawsuit against YouTube for banning him from the platform after the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol. Google, which owns YouTube , is also involved in an antitrust case leveled against it by the Justice Department, and therefore, could benefit from soliciting favor from the Trump administration, the lawmakers claim. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. "Billiona…