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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDemocrat announces whistleblower allegations of construction problems at Kennedy Center
https://apnews.com/article/kennedy-center-whistleblowers-trump-democratic-senator-construction-124507bd76de61b812daf555a52e2edfDemocrat announces whistleblower allegations of construction problems at Kennedy Center
By NICHOLAS RICCARDI
Updated 3:39 PM CDT, July 11, 2026
A Democratic senator on Saturday alleged that whistleblowers have detailed several problems stemming from rushed or improper reconstruction of the Kennedy Center, adding a new layer to the travails of the arts complex as President Donald Trump tried to seize control of it and its name.
Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island said in a release on Saturday that he had received a whistleblower disclosure from the Government Accountability Project, a nonprofit whistleblower protection group, alleging that the Center rushed a series of renovations driven by the Presidents aesthetic whims and his desire to star in a series of televised events in December.
The Centers subservience to the Presidents desires and its corner-cutting contracting practices have resulted in steel columns that are rusting through fresh paint, a reflecting pool that may have to be torn out and rebuilt, and a brand-new bathroom floor torn out over an offending tile color, Whitehouse continued. This is waste, and it treats a national memorial to President Kennedy as if it were a private renovation project.
Whitehouse released a letter he wrote to the centers executive director, Matt Floca, demanding answers by July 23. He said the whistleblower report included firsthand accounts of multiple former Center project managers, supported by contemporaneous documents and photographs. He also included an 83-page appendix full of internal center documents, emails and photos of apparently shoddy construction.
The allegations include that the center rushed work before it was authorized by Congress because it wanted it to be complete for Trump to accept the new FIFA Peace Prize that the soccer federation awarded him. In doing so, the letter alleges the center didnt follow required contracting guidelines and wasted money replacing a bathroom because the president didnt like the color and inking no-bid contracts. One $8 million contract to replace the concert halls floor went to a firm with no experience in concert halls, Whitehouse contended.
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Democrat announces whistleblower allegations of construction problems at Kennedy Center (Original Post)
dalton99a
17 hrs ago
OP
Congress needs to step in with the assistance of judges and put an end to this wrecking mentality
Deuxcents
17 hrs ago
#1
"...his desire to star in a series of televised events in December." One shudders at the possibilities, like
Buns_of_Fire
14 hrs ago
#5
Deuxcents
(28,472 posts)1. Congress needs to step in with the assistance of judges and put an end to this wrecking mentality
Of our buildings and monuments. They dont belong to TSF..they are ours and hes ripping them apart and half assing them put back together without consent if he wants projects, hes hot golf courses he owns and a resort in West Palm Beach.
hookaleft
(1,508 posts)2. He is insane.
Somebody stop him!
tanyev
(50,035 posts)3. ETTD strikes again.

malaise
(300,099 posts)4. What a mess
A crooked bull in a China shop - what the hell did they expect?
Buns_of_Fire
(19,255 posts)5. "...his desire to star in a series of televised events in December." One shudders at the possibilities, like
"Dancing With the Trumps" and "Are You Smarter Than a Trump?"
Get me Mark Burnett on line one. We need help here.