Sen. Elizabeth Warren is calling for an investigation into the private donations funding the president’s planned $300 million White House ballroom.
In a statement to the Guardian Thursday, the Massachusetts senator said the next independent Department of Justice should investigate the ballroom, which she described as potentially “a golden crime scene.”
The controversial ballroom construction, announced by the White House in July, has continued to grow in size and cost and is now planned to reach 90,000 square feet, accommodate up to 1,000 guests, and dwarf the main White House building.
The president has repeatedly claimed that the gold-filled ballroom will be privately funded by donors—whose names so far include Apple, Amazon, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, and Google—and sources have suggested that donor names may be etched into the building.
According to the nonprofit Public Citizen, two-thirds of the 24 well-known corporate donors had government contacts before committing to the president’s project.
In her statement, Warren urged the next administration to “follow the money” to determine if “any crimes were committed” in the financing, adding that “the statute of limitations is five years for federal bribery charges,” leaving enough time to launch an investigation.
In response, Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that “the same critics who are wrongly claiming there are conflicts of interests, would complain if taxpayers were footing the bill,” maintaining that the donors “represent a wide array of great American companies and generous individuals.”
In October, the construction of the ballroom drew public criticism after photos of the White House’s East Wing demolition were released, despite Trump’s promises not to “interfere” with the original building. The president has since admitted that demolishing the wing was unnecessary.
On Tuesday, Warren was joined by Rep. Robert Garcia of California to introduce the “Stop Ballroom Bribery Act,” which seeks to tighten rules on private donations and to ban contributions from entities that do business with the government.
Last month, the president hosted a dinner for his billionaire donor friends, during which he also unveiled plans for a new national monument modeled on the French Arc de Triomphe, which people have dubbed the “Arc de Trumpe.”
“Americans shouldn’t have to wonder whether President Trump is building a ballroom to facilitate a pay-to-play scheme for political favor,” Warren said of the legislation she introduced, which is unlikely to pass in the Republican-controlled Congress.
The White House has said the ballroom’s construction will be completed before the end of Trump’s second term.
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