Senate Democrat expands Kennedy Center spending probe, alleges Trump-driven cost-cutting

WASHINGTON, DC: The controversy over the Kennedy Center renovation budget hasn’t abated, as a Senate Democrat is expanding a probe into alleged corruption within the ranks, accusing the leadership of mismanaging funds.

There have been allegations of financial mismanagement, cronyism, and the misuse of federal funds during Donald Trump's takeover of the institution.

Dem Senator claims having Kennedy Center corruption evidence

Sen Sheldon Whitehouse said in a Thursday, July 9, letter to Kennedy Center Executive Director Matt Floca that he had received whistleblower information alleging the center rushed a series of renovations last year to meet deadlines set by President Donald Trump.

“In the process, longstanding federal contracting controls were set aside, no-bid contractors were awarded, and superficial cosmetic work was performed that staff warned would have to be redone,” he wrote.

The letter cited whistleblower allegations that the Kennedy Center spent taxpayer money repainting the building's columns, awarded an $8 million no-bid flooring contract to a South Carolina company with no known concert hall experience, and replaced a newly installed bathroom floor because Trump reportedly "didn't like the color."

It is also alleged that Kennedy Center leadership instructed staff to do "whatever it takes" to complete the renovations before the FIFA Peace Prize ceremony and later changed its contracting rules to justify the no-bid contracts.

Senator accuses center of doing needless renovation

“Instead of pursuing renovations tailored to the building’s actual needs, the Center rushed a series of renovations driven by the President’s aesthetic whims and his desire to star in a series of televised events in December,” the senator wrote.

“The Center’s subservience to the President’s 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,” he added.

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has undergone dramatic changes since Trump overhauled its board last year and made himself its chair.

After Trump arbitrarily updated the board, several artistic partners left the center, and the move prompted many performances to cancel planned appearances.

The center recently grabbed headlines when District Judge Christopher Cooper stopped Trump’s handpicked board’s initiative to add his name to the building.

The court, in May, sided with a lawsuit brought by Rep Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), another ex officio board member, and ordered that Trump’s name be stripped from the façade.

The judge also found that the board’s vote to close the center for a two-year renovation this summer was unlawful.