Whistleblowers have told senior Democrats that the Department of the Interior is destroying key records ahead of the left’s expected takeover of Congress.
Rep. Jared Huffman of California, the ranking Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, said he plans to scrutinize the Trump White House ballroom and other construction projects, along with the Trump family’s involvement in mineral deals.
According to CNN, Huffman said whistleblowers had approached the committee alleging that Interior officials were destroying records to evade possible investigations.
Under Secretary Doug Burgum, the Interior Department has devoted significant attention to several of President Trump’s efforts to renovate and beautify national landmarks, including the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
On Tuesday, Huffman sent letters to several department officials, the directors of the Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service, and the CEOs of private companies with business in Washington, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin and John Deere.
The letters asked each recipient to “preserve all records and data responsive to oversight” by the committee.
The whistleblowers have not accused any of the private companies, or any agencies outside the Interior Department, of destroying documents.
However, everyone who received a letter must confirm that they will preserve relevant records, recover any deleted information and halt efforts to delete additional material.
Whistleblowers have told senior Democrats that the Department of the Interior destroyed key records ahead of the left’s expected takeover of Congress. Pictured: Donald Trump shakes hands with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum
Jared Huffman of California, the ranking Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, said he plans to investigate Trump’s White House ballroom and other construction projects, as well as the Trump family’s role in mineral deals
Huffman’s aides said the committee plans to hold hearings on several of Trump’s major projects, including his proposed triumphal arch, efforts to overhaul a public golf course in Washington, and the Tidal Basin Development Concept plan, which includes Trump’s Garden of American Heroes.
The projects are being pushed forward before the new Congress convenes in January, a rush that has drawn criticism from preservationists.
Some of the proposals require approval from federal agencies, creating pressure to move them ahead before Republicans lose control of Congress.
In a statement to CNN, the department said it “follows all federal records management obligations as directed by the Department’s ethics officials.”
Officials added that Huffman’s allegations were “100 percent false.”
“President Trump is moving at lightning speed because we don’t have time to waste in our mission to make America greater than ever before,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said.
“For two years, this administration has stonewalled us and kept the American people in the dark while Democrats have fought tirelessly to daylight and stop their corruption. Those days of obstruction are over,” Huffman said.
“I am sending a message to President Trump and his allies: our investigations will continue full steam ahead. And to every agency official and corporate executive receiving these letters: save everything. The American people deserve to know what you did with their government and their money, and we intend to get them answers.”
Under Doug Burgum, the Interior Department has focused heavily on Trump’s projects to beautify national parkland, including the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
A federal judge blocked construction of Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot “Triumphal Arch” in Washington on Thursday night. Pictured: a mockup of the proposed arch
Last week, a federal judge handed Huffman a victory by blocking construction of the arch just hours after the administration announced that work could begin “immediately.”
Judge Tanya Chutkan delivered a major setback to Trump by issuing a temporary restraining order barring his administration from beginning work on the proposed monument, which critics have dubbed the “Arc de Trump.”
The enormous structure is planned for a site near Arlington National Cemetery and would rise approximately 25 stories above the ground. Its final cost, however, remains unknown.
Estimates have placed the price as high as $100 million, but officials have not finalized the figure or explained how the project would be financed.
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Chutkan had previously ordered the administration to provide advance notice before construction began, giving her an opportunity to intervene before work started.
Her latest order has created further uncertainty around the project’s schedule, leaving the proposed three-year construction timeline unresolved.
The courtroom setback is not Trump’s only challenge. Democrats, buoyed by their historic midterm victories on Tuesday, have vowed to stop the project when they assume control of the House and Senate in January.
“The Great Gatsby party is over,” Huffman warned just hours before a federal panel met to vote on the president’s proposed arch.
A federal judge blocked construction of the arch last week, just hours after the administration announced that work could begin “immediately”
“The arch is an illegal project. It’s a monstrosity. It’s a slap in the face to veterans and to the history and the aesthetics of this sacred place,” he said. “It’s unthinkable that this would be allowed to proceed.”
Only hours before Chutkan issued her ruling, the National Capital Planning Commission, the federal body responsible for overseeing major development in Washington, voted 8-4 to approve the proposed arch.
The divisive vote followed nearly nine hours of heated public testimony. Administration officials told the commission that construction could begin within 24 hours.
The decision highlighted the widening divide between Trump’s supporters and local officials who have strongly opposed the monument.
Most supporters of the arch were members of the Trump administration or people closely aligned with the president, while opponents largely represented Washington, DC.
Members of Congress, veterans, architects and residents from Washington and Virginia strongly criticized the proposal, with some describing the massive structure as an extravagant monument to Trump’s ego.
“Trump is a president, not a king,” Rep. Huffman told the commission during Thursday afternoon’s hearing.
Marine veteran Jimi Shaughnessy said: “A dominating arch with a carnival-like atmosphere of tourists, food trucks and buses is abhorrent and insulting to those who gave all and to their families.”
Members of Congress, veterans, architects and residents from Washington and Virginia denounced the proposal, with some calling it an extravagant tribute to Trump’s ego
“Instead of focusing on the issues facing military families, this administration is intent on spending taxpayer dollars to site, plan and design a monument no one asked for, and is content with bypassing any laws or regulations that may prevent it from breaking ground,” he added.
The project was quickly thrown into limbo after the Obama-appointed judge issued a 14-day restraining order prohibiting the government from conducting any “construction-related activity” while the legal battle continues.
The order came at the request of Virginia and the District of Columbia, which filed a lawsuit challenging construction of the arch on October 31.
Chutkan later combined their case with an earlier lawsuit filed by Vietnam veterans and an architectural historian who are also opposing the proposed monument.
The judge had already expressed doubts about the administration’s effort to fast-track construction while the litigation was pending. She indicated that she was unconvinced by a last-minute attempt to reclassify the arch as a military complex.
Late last month, Trump unexpectedly said the arch would also serve as a military facility, housing drones and ammunition for rapid deployment in “large numbers” while offering rooftop and plaza positions for sniper teams.
In her ruling, Chutkan recognized the government’s “significant interest in national security,” but said the newly cited military functions were unsupported and conspicuously absent from the original planning documents.
The arch is not the first time Trump has cited security concerns to support his architectural plans during his second term, as he seeks to leave both a symbolic and physical imprint on the nation’s capital.
Construction has continued on elements of Trump’s proposed White House ballroom, with funding drawn from the Secret Service budget even as portions of the project remain the subject of lawsuits.
