Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claimed Donald Trump turned two national projects into examples of “corruption.” She linked the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation and the planning of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations to no-bid contracts and spending that favored political allies.
Clinton wrote on X: “Why can’t Trump clean a pool or throw a real 250th party?
It’s not just incompetence.It’s also corruption.”
She shared several images, including one from watchdog groups Public Citizen and the Revolving Door Project.
These groups reported that about 80% of federal money used for the 250th anniversary celebrations went to organizations linked to Trump under the “Freedom 250” label.The Trump administration spent nearly $126 million on semiquincentennial events, with about $103 million going to Freedom 250 events and networks.Public Citizen and the Revolving Door Project said that $103 million was roughly 80% of the total federal funds.
Clinton also shared a Wall Street Journal headline.
The article quoted Chas Antinone Jr., president of Greenwater Services, who said his company had “nothing to hide” as it faced scrutiny over a $1.7 million no-bid contract to install a purification system at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The company has faced criticism after the pool quickly developed bright green algae and parts of the newly installed “American flag blue” liner began peeling.
Benzinga tried to get a response from the White House but did not receive one at the time of writing.
Read Also: Trump Says ‘Criminally Made’ Algae Gone, Announces Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Will Be Drained After July 4: Damage Done By People That ‘Hate Our Country’
The Trump administration awarded a nearly $15 million no-bid contract to vendors with no prior federal contracts and ties to the president.
The pool soon filled with algae and parts of the liner started peeling.
Trump blamed the failure on vandalism, claiming a 350-foot “scar” was cut into the liner with a box knife.
The National Park Service later said the liner had been cut with a sharp object.
Democrats view the projects as examples of political favoritism.
Clinton and other Democratic lawmakers, including Sen.Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), have argued that the pool and anniversary issues show unchecked spending and political corruption, not just poor management.Blumenthal wrote a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and acting Park Service Director Jessica Bowron, calling Trump-backed National Park Service projects in Washington “blatant corruption, a shocking lack of transparency, disregard for legal requirements and apparent incompetence.” His office published the letter on June 10.
This criticism is part of a larger Democratic campaign.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) previously called the pool controversy a “reflecting pool debacle,” while Trump has defended the project as an effort to restore a landmark before July Fourth.
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