Groups
representing park conservationists, historians and scientists filed a
lawsuit on Tuesday seeking to prevent President Donald Trump's
administration from scrubbing information from parks and monuments,
after exhibits touching on topics like slavery and climate change were
recently removed. The National Parks Conservation Association, American
Association for State and Local History and four other groups argue in a
lawsuit filed in Boston federal court that the U.S. Department of the
Interior is engaged in a "sustained campaign to erase history and
undermine science."
The
lawsuit argues the department is removing signs and exhibits from parks
in violation of mandates from Congress governing how more than 430
national park sites should be operated and has adopted an unlawful
policy that lacks any reasoned explanation for why various signs and
exhibits must be removed.
[. . .]
The
Interior Department did not immediately respond to a request for
comment. The lawsuit was filed a day after a federal judge in
Pennsylvania ordered the National Park Service to reinstall an exhibit
that was removed from the President's House Site at the Independence
National Historical Park in Philadelphia that described the history of
slavery and the ownership of enslaved people by President George
Washington, the nation's first president. Tuesday's lawsuit said that
exhibit was one of several removed after Trump signed an executive order
in March 2025 targeting what he called a "revisionist movement" that
portrayed the U.S. as "inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or
otherwise irredeemably flawed."
The
coalition states that it instead has been “mounting a sustained
campaign to erase history and undermine science, so the parks no longer
‘reflect different cultural backgrounds, ages, education, gender,
abilities, ethnicity, and needs’ or ‘reflect current scientific and
academic research.'”
“America’s national parks
are a living classroom, telling the stories of sacrifice, perseverance,
and hope so that every visitor can learn our history and the world
around us,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward,
the nonprofit public policy research organization representing the
organizations in the coalition. “You cannot tell the story of America
without recognizing both the beauty and the tragedy of our history.”
Legal expert Chris Geidner tore into
the Supreme Court on his Law Dork blog for making an "embarrassing"
roundabout ethics rule change that is meant to look like they're
preventing conflicts of interest with individual stock ownership — while
in fact allowing the two justices who trade individual stocks to keep
doing so.
"Did the justices
agree to divest from individual stock ownership — which would be the
cleanest, most ethical, and easiest step, especially given that Chief
Justice John Roberts and Justice Sam Alito are the only two justices who
currently own individual stocks? Of course not," chided Geidner. "The
Chief Justice of the United States will literally change the rules of
the Supreme Court of the United States instead of divesting in
individual stocks. Really."
This
is a ludicrous move, wrote Geidner, and it's designed to work with a
new piece of software for the court to make "automated recusal checks."
"The
Supreme Court of the United States spent time and money to create new
software to run conflicts checks, and part of that includes checks
relating to individual stocks owned by justices," wrote Geidner.
"Because two justices own stocks — Roberts refuses to divest and Alito
is apparently eagerly day-trading — the Supreme Court had to spend time
and money in the development of this new system to integrate stock
ownership conflict checks. And now, starting in March, every party going
to the Supreme Court is going to need to go along with this CNBC-style
ticker-tape rule because of their intransigence."
Now
for Chump and his attempts to blame some unnamed person for his Truth
Social post that had the video of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. Andrew Feinberg (INDEPENDENT) reports:
Just
weeks after administration officials blamed a staffer for a blatantly
racist post that appeared on President Donald Trump’s Truth Social
account, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt assured reporters
that anything on the president’s bespoke social media site is “straight
from the horse’s mouth.”
[. . .]
But
Leavitt’s defense of the president’s latest social media activity
directly contradicts what White House officials were saying just days
ago after Trump posted a video to social media that showed Barack and
Michelle Obama’s faces superimposed onto apes in a jungle, swaying side
to side and smiling as the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” played in the
background.
The video prompted criticism even
from some of Trump’s most loyal supporters in Congress, and amid the
uproar, a White House official told The Independent that a staff member —
not Trump himself — had “erroneously made the post.”
A
number of GOP officeholders and prominent supporters of the president
publicly called for the unnamed staffer who’d been blamed for the
incident to be fired. But thus far, no one at the White House has been
ousted over the incident.
Wednesday, February 18, 2026. Chump falsely insists he's been
"exonerated" in the Epstein scandal, the House Oversight Committee goes
to Ohio today for a deposition, Pete Hegseth continues his drama queen
moves, ICE suffers more reveals, and much more.
President
Donald Trump claimed to have been "exonerated" of any wrongdoing as it
relates to his past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein no less than five
times Monday when speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, a remark
that comes amid mounting evidence to the contrary.
A
reporter asked Trump about recent remarks from his longstanding
political rival, Hillary Clinton, who accused the president of having “something to hide” regarding Epstein, the convicted child sex offender who once claimed to have been Trump’s “closest friend for 10 years.”
[. . .]
Despite
Trump’s claims, the Justice Department’s release of millions of files
on Epstein has unearthed a number of allegations against him, among them
claims that he abused at least two underage girls, which political
reporter Roger Sollenberger reported Sunday were deemed credible by federal investigators.
Other revelations unearthed from the DOJ’s release of files on Epstein include emails that suggest Trump may have “spent hours” with one of Epstein’s victims at his home, and that Trump may have spent Thanksgiving with Epstein during his first term in office, among countless others.
Despite
Trump’s insistence, newly surfaced material in the Epstein files shows
that the FBI interviewed a victim who accused Trump of sexual assault,
undercutting Attorney General Pam Bondi’s recent claim that the Justice
Department had no such evidence.
According to independent journalist Roger Sollenberger,
agents deemed the woman a “credible accuser,” though the outcome of the
inquiry remains unclear. A woman with matching identifying details
later sued Epstein’s estate and secured a settlement in 2021.
The
allegations appear in an internal Justice Department slideshow
cataloguing Epstein-related investigations, where Trump is listed
alongside two accusations. One describes a violent sexual assault when
the accuser was between 13 and 15 years old; another recounts Trump
agreeing with Epstein’s remark that a 14-year-old girl was “a good one,”
testimony the department later relied on to convict Ghislaine Maxwell.
Although
Trump is referenced tens of thousands of times across the files, the
White House has continued to deny wrongdoing, even as Rep. Ted Lieu
accused Bondi of lying under oath over claims that no underage girls
were present at events Trump attended.
Online,
Trump’s contradictions sparked outrage, with critics saying his claims
didn’t add up when weighed against the facts that have been released.
One
widely shared response cut straight to the point: “Only he hasn’t been
totally exonerated. Not in the slightest. His name appears in the files
over 1 million times, according to Raskin. He’s being protected by evil,
otherwise known as Pam Bondi.”
Today,
in Ohio, the US House Oversight Committee takes a deposition from
billionaire Les Wexner regarding his ties to pedophile and sex
trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. US House Rep Jasmine Crockett discussed the
upcoming deposition with Jen Psaki last night on MS NOW.
The U.S. House Oversight Committee will question retail
mogul Leslie Wexner on February 18 about his relationship with sex
offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The deposition, which
was recently moved from Washington D.C. to Wexner’s home state of Ohio,
comes days after members of Congress, representatives Thomas Massie of
Kentucky and Ro Khanna of California, compelled the Justice Department
to reveal Wexner’s then-redacted identity in an internal FBI document
that had been among the millions released in January. The FBI Document
labeled Wexner a co-conspirator to Epstein along with Lesley Groff,
Ghislaine Maxwell, Jean-Luc Brunel, Karyna Shuliak and four others whose
names remained redacted. The document appears to be tied to the child
sex trafficking charges against Epstein and possibly the investigation
into his death. In 2019, the Assistant U.S. Attorney told Wexner’s legal
counsel that he was “neither a co-conspirator nor a target in any
respect,” according to a spokesperson for Wexner, after Wexner provided
background information on Epstein (Wexner’s spokesperson says Wexner was
never contacted again).
[. . .]
Despite Wexner’s efforts to distance himself from Epstein, his
relatively low profile in recent years, and claims that the relationship
was “more professional than social,” per the memo, the most recent
batch of files has once again resurfaced the extent of their shared
history. Wexner’s name now appears more than 1,300 times in the DOJ’s
Epstein Library, frequently within emails, interviews and lawsuits
dating far after 2008. As first reported by TheNew York Times,
the newest files show an undated draft of a letter to “Les” from
Epstein: “I have never once, not once, done anything , but protect your
interests. I owe a great debt to you, as frankly you owe to me…You and I
had ‘gang stuff’ for over 15 years.” A spokesperson for Wexner says
that the undated draft note was never received by Wexner.
Wexner has been known
as a primary source for Epstein’s money and power. In a released
transcript from 2020, Epstein’s former IT contractor told FBI agents
that “Les Wexner was always #1 speed dial on all of Epstein’s phones.” A
spokesperson for Mr. Wexner declined to comment on this claim.
Anthony Marcum, an assistant professor at Capital University Law
School and a lawyer who has also worked for former Sen. Ben Sasse, said a
congressional deposition is different from testifying as a witness at
trial, even though both involve sworn testimony.
“It’s sworn testimony for both depositions and being a witness at trial, but they’re serving different purposes,” Marcum said.
The
session in New Albany is not expected to be public. “This is not gonna
be aired publicly, this will not be on TV, this is gonna be closed-door
with committee staff, members of the committee, the person being
interviewed, and two of their lawyers,” Marcum said.
Wexner will be able to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against
self-incrimination. Marcum also said the questioning could stretch on
for a long time, with time divided between the parties.
Pam
Bondi, Donald Trump’s hand-picked and ultra-loyal Attorney General,
says the Epstein files are over because everything has now been fully
released.
It certainly seems to be the case
that the White House wants this story to be done and for the world to
move on. But Bondi – and her boss – will almost certainly find that
moving the world’s attention on is easier said than done.
[. . .]
At
the same time, lawyers have claimed there are documents missing from
the supposedly complete files – something I can corroborate. As a
reporter, I contacted Epstein and several of his associates early in
2015, when Mountbatten-Windsor was first named in an Epstein-related
lawsuit. Some of those emails have appeared in the Epstein files – but
not all of them.
Even
if the document’s story was over, and not a single new email or text
was released, this is far from done. Congress is only just getting
started on its own investigations, and it has the power to use subpoenas
to compel witnesses to give evidence to its committees.
Channel 4 News claimed
that only 2% of all the files might have been released, as per their
research. Citing what they call gross negligence, critics are coming up
with new nicknames that highlight Trump’s handling of the case.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. used the term “Epstein administration,” while addressing the Trump administration.
He
strongly criticized Trump and said, “Donald Trump told us that even
though he had dinner with these kinds of people in New York City and
West Palm Beach that he would be transparent. But he’s not. He’s still
in with the Epstein class. This is the Epstein administration.”
Sometimes there’s no smoking gun, but there’s the smell of gunpowder.
That seems to be the case with Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. The
Trump gang’s handling of the scandal looks as if it is purposefully
designed to raise suspicions. Fighting the release of the Epstein files,
declaring this whole subject ought to be dropped, and, of course,
Trump’s contradictory statements about his relationship with Epstein—it
all comes across as fishy and suggests guilt of…something. Last week,
the news emerged that in 2006, when sex crime charges against Epstein in
Palm Beach became public, Trump called the
city’s police chief and said, “Thank goodness you’re stopping him,
everyone has known he’s been doing this.” Yet after Epstein was arrested
on federal charges in 2019, Trump said he had known nothing of
Epstein’s abuse of teenage girls: “I had no idea.”
Was he lying about what he knew back in the day? This—shall we
say?—contradiction is hard to square. But it’s a good indication that
nothing Trump claims about Epstein should be believed. Remember the
birthday card? In July, the Wall Street Journalreported that a birthday album Ghislaine Maxwell prepared for Epstein in 2003 contained a greeting from Trump: A drawing of
a naked female body with an imagined dialogue between “Jeffrey” and
“Donald” that ended, “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday—and may
every day be another wonderful secret.” Trump’s signature mimicked
pubic hair in the crotch of the figure.
Let's move over to Pete Looselips Hegseth. The Secretary of Defense is in the news for multiple mental moments. Matthew Rozsa reports:
President
Donald Trump’s Pentagon chief forced out a senior military adviser
because of that officer’s link to a general who previously criticized
Trump — even though the soldier in question is widely described as
nonpartisan.
“He’s about the most nonpartisan guy I know,” one retired colonel told The Washington Post
about the decision to fire Col. David Butler. This colonel had
previously served with Butler but spoke anonymously about those
experiences to avoid retaliation from Trump and his defense secretary,
Pete Hegseth. “That’s really too bad.”
Although
Butler never publicly criticized Trump, he worked from 2019 until 2023
as a senior spokesman for the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley. Trump and Hegseth have targeted Milley in a
number of ways because he maintained a nonpartisan military during
Trump’s first term and after retiring called Trump “fascist to the
core," warning that he is "the most dangerous person to the country." In
response, Hegseth directed a suspension of Milley’s security clearance,
a revocation of his security detail and a Pentagon inspector general
review of his alleged past leaks to journalists. Perhaps most
symbolically, Trump ordered Milley’s official portrait taken down at the
Pentagon.
In addition to targeting
Milley directly, Trump has also fired other military officers who
worked with Milley on the Joint Chief, even though the men in question
were not believed to have criticized Trump or been partisan. Described
by the Post as “evenhanded leaders caught in the middle of a political
knife fight,” the fired or promotion-delayed officers include Gen. James
Mingus, Adm. Milton Sands, Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly, Maj. Gen. James
Patrick Work and Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims.
"Once
lost, the legitimacy of a military that reflects and represents all
Americans will be difficult to recover," Gen. Stanley McChrystal (Ret.)
told The New York Times about Hegseth's actions. Similarly Rep. Jason
Crow, (D-Colo.), who is a former Army Ranger, told the Times that "the
message being sent to those younger soldiers and sailors and airmen and
Marines is that politics can and should be part of your military
service."
Several
current and former defense officials expressed astonishment at Butler’s
ouster, describing him as a steady hand and thoughtful strategist who
has earned the trust of numerous generals, civilian political appointees
and journalists.
One Army officer questioned
why Hegseth would make an effort to fire a colonel on another Trump
official’s staff. “It’s terrible for the Army,” the official said of
losing its senior public affairs adviser.
“He’s
about the most nonpartisan guy I know,” said a retired colonel who
previously served with Butler, speaking on the condition of anonymity
for fear of retaliation by Hegseth’s team. “That’s really too bad.”
Before
becoming Milley’s spokesman, Butler held a high-profile assignment as
the top U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan under Army Gen. Austin
“Scott” Miller. Butler was selected for the post after previously
working for Miller at the elite Joint Special Operations Command.
Hegseth also sought to strip Sen. Mark Kelly of his rank and pension
after Kelly and five other Democratic members of Congress released a
video citing the Military Code of Justice and reminding service members
that they had a duty to disobey illegal orders.
A federal judge appointed by President George W. Bush issued a blistering opinion
blocking Hegseth’s effort to censure and demote Kelly, a combat veteran
and former astronaut who retired in 2011 with the rank of captain.
Carl Gibson notes that even THE WALL STREET JOURNAL editorial board has issues with Prissy Pete's attack on Senator Mark Kelly:
The Journal observed Monday
that the Trump administration's failed attempt to prosecute Sen. Mark
Kelly (D-Ariz.) was merely the latest example of the DOJ bringing a
flimsy case before a grand jury only to be sent home empty-handed. The
Rupert Murdoch-owned paper pointed out that after Trump accused Kelly of
"seditious behavior, punishable by death" for urging military service
members to remember their duty to disobey illegal orders, Defense
Secretary Pete Hegseth jumped to action, with the Journal commenting
that Hegseth "takes tango lessons whenever Mr. Trump says dance."
Trump's
Pentagon chief sent Kelly a "letter of censure" and attempted to dock
his retirement pay over his remarks, prompting Kelly to sue the
administration. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon — an appointee of
former President George W. Bush — admonished the Pentagon from the bench,
and reminded the administration that Kelly was guilty of nothing more
than expressing his constitutionally guaranteed First Amendment rights.
Insult
was added to injury after a grand jury refused to indict Kelly and the
five other Democratic lawmakers in the video (all of whom are veterans
of the military and intelligence agencies). In addition to returning a
"no true bill" verdict, not one grand juror voted in favor of the DOJ's
indictment, which is a virtually unprecedented event.
As
women began serving in combat roles — all restrictions on which were
lifted in 2015, after the ACLU Women's Rights Project and ACLU of
Northern California filed a lawsuit challenging them — DACOWITS has made
recommendations to facilitate women's integration, such as securing
properly fitting body armor, boots and uniforms, proposing strategies
for addressing gender bias, and, yes, assuring that women can meet
applicable physical fitness standards.
Over the
course of its history, spanning Republican as well as Democratic
administrations, DACOWITS has made more than 1,000 recommendations to
the Department of Defense. Ninety-eight percent of these efforts have
been implemented in full or in part.
Given that
women in combat jobs already must satisfy stringent gender-neutral
physical requirements, Hegseth's muddled new directive about fitness
standards likely won't dramatically reduce women's numbers in those
roles. Eliminating DACOWITS, however, does deliberate, incalculable harm
to all service women's ability to thrive in their careers, and does
risk driving women out of the military, as well as deterring others from
enlisting altogether.
For a secretary of
defense fixated on promoting the "lethality" of U.S. forces, scrapping a
venerable advisory body relied upon by the Pentagon for decades to
maximize our troops' readiness does nothing to promote our national
security — and everything to advance Hegseth's personal extreme views
about women's right to serve their country.
Federal immigration officers have shot 13 people since September, according to a new report.
As
the Department of Homeland Security has launched a widespread
immigration campaign across the country, reports of aggressive tactics
have become far more common. Last month alone, two U.S. citizens were
shot dead by federal agents - Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37 from
Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In many of the most violent incidents, videos contradict the Trump administration's account,
posing serious questions about the power bestowed upon the federal
agents who undergo less training than other law enforcement officers.
NBC News put together a report of the shootings
that have occurred since September, showing the varied circumstances
and places where ICE and CBP officers have opened fire on people while
conducting immigration operations.
The
brutality was never checked. Windows were smashed, People were dragged
out of cars in front of elementary schools. Women were pushed to the
floor in court buildings. ICE got away with everything. It was never
held accountable and was informed that it would not be held accountable
which made it so ripe and ready for abuse. Howard Husock (THE HILL) notes:
The dam of Republican acquiescence to the Trump administration’s over-the-top immigrant deportation policy has begun to break.
The
deaths of two Minneapolis protesters have galvanized lawmakers and
broken their trance of fear of the president. Criticism of Immigration
and Customs Enforcement tactics has extended beyond long-time Trump
skeptic Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and lame-duck Sen. Thomas Tillis
(R-N.C.) to include other moderates such as Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.)
and deeply conservative Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). That Lawler is facing
re-election this fall is no coincidence.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem quickly offered a variation of her standard falsehood.
She
had said the same after the fatal shooting of Renee Good, an unarmed
mother of three, a week earlier on Jan. 7. And she would repeat it
regarding the killing of VA ICU nurse Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.
“Fearing for his life, he fired a defensive shot,” Noem said of her agent.
She told the press that the delivery driver incident constituted “an attempted murder of federal law enforcement.”
“Our
officer was ambushed and attacked by three individuals who beat him
with snow shovels and the handles of brooms,” she added.
That
falsehood was more elaborate than the others, but received less
attention because the person shot in this case, Venezuelan Julio Cesar
Sosa-Celis, 24, suffered only a wound to his right thigh and survived.
Sosa-Celis
was arrested along with his friend and fellow DoorDasher, Alfredo
Alejandro Aljorna, who allegedly joined in assaulting the agent after a
car chase ended in a struggle.
But a bullet hole in
the front door of Sosa-Celis’ home corroborates contradictory accounts
by two eyewitnesses. They say the agent fired through the door, and
Sosa-Celis was struck after he entered the house, so he could not have
constituted a threat. The bullet was later found to have torn through
the door and into the apartment.
As
ICE ramped up operations across the country, especially in Minneapolis,
President Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem sent legal
requests to Google, Reddit, Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram) and
Discord to acquire names, email addresses, phone numbers, and
identifying data of social media accounts that track and criticize ICE,
according to a New York Times investigation.
The
Times says Google, Meta, and Reddit complied with “some of the
subpoenas,” which numbered in the hundreds and were “administrative
subpoenas,” which are not subject to judicial oversight.
While
the Trump administration claims the subpoenas are to protect DHS agents
facing threats during immigration crackdowns in U.S. cities, Trump
critics including ex-GOP consultant Reed Galen, a former DHS official
during the George W. Bush administration, called the requests a First
Amendment violation.
Galen, a co-founder of The
Lincoln Project, responded on social media: “All you free speech
absolutists, this is what the 1st Amendment expressly prohibits.”
Rep.
Ro Khanna (D-CA), a lawyer from the Silicon Valley tech industry,
agreed with Galen, and wrote: “Tech must not bend the knee to a
surveillance state. Google, Meta & other companies should refuse to
comply with administrative subpoenas that target anonymous speech
critical or ICE as a blatant violation of the First Amendment.”
Last night, Jen Psaki reported on 18-month-old Amalia.
This
morning, MEIDASTOUCH NEWS reports Chump held a late night emergency
meeting as he grasped how dire the mid-terms might end up bein for him.
The midterms are coming, and older women voters are spooked about the economy.
That’s
the message from a new AARP survey of American voters, with a focus on
women ages 50 and over. It comes in the run-up to a pivotal round of
midterm elections in November.
Half of women
voters 50 and older expect the economy to get worse in the next year,
the survey found. Only 31% expect it to get better.
Half
of older women feel less financially secure now than a year ago, the
survey found, compared with only one-third of men the same age.
President
Donald Trump’s approval rating has sunk to new second‑term lows, with
fresh polling showing a deepening weakness among independent voters.
[. . .]
Now,
according to Quinnipiac polling, that figure has widened to 27 points
underwater—a significant deterioration with the voters most likely to
swing between parties.
Let's wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:
In the face of drastic cuts to funding and access pushed by
President Trump, Murray led efforts to safeguard critical federal
funding that underpins Washington state housing and homelessness safety
nets
Murray not only protected key national housing and homelessness
programs that are essential for Washington state, but also secured
millions in Congressionally Directed Spending to build affordable
housing and tackle homelessness across the state
ICYMI:
Senator Murray Secures Hundreds of Millions for Transportation &
Housing Projects Across WA in Final Appropriations Bills; Boosts Funding
for Medical Research, Housing, Child Care & More
***AUDIO OF ROUNDTABLE HERE, PHOTOS AND B-ROLL HERE***
Seattle, WA — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray
(D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a
roundtable discussion with local housing providers and partners on the
importance of lowering the cost of housing and the urgent need to
address the homelessness crisis. Senator Murray highlighted how she
secured an historic $7.2 billion increase
for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), protected
rental assistance and programs that tackle homelessness from drastic
cuts by Trump, and secured millions of dollars for affordable housing
projects across Seattle and King County.
Senator Murray was joined by Sharon Lee, Founder & Executive
Director, Low Income Housing Institute; Iris Friday, Board Chair,
Seattle Indian Services Commission; Colleen Echohawk-Hayashi, CEO,
Community Roots Housing; Susan Boyd, CEO, Bellwether Housing; Derrick
Belgarde, Executive Director, Chief Seattle Club; Paul Lwali, President
& CEO, Friends of Youth; and Dan Strauss, Seattle City Council
Member, District 6.
“If President Trump had his way in our funding bills, he
would have zeroed out programs that help build affordable housing and
spur community development. President Trump’s budget wanted to rip the
Department of Housing and Urban Development in half, but I made sure we
ripped his budget in half instead,” said Senator Murray. “I
secured a $7.2 billion increase for HUD—protecting programs Trump tried
to eliminate, and investing $4.1 billion more in rental assistance to
help families. I also fought hard to secure funding for critical housing
projects here in King County. The funds are going to support work on 38
affordable housing units for families in the foster system in Renton,
150 units of affordable housing through the Low-Income Housing
Institute, 181 units through Bellwether Housing, 162 affordable housing
units through the Seattle Indian Services Commission, another 500
through the City of Seattle’s Fort Lawton redevelopment project, as well
as safety upgrades to retain 38 units of affordable housing for
Community Roots Housing. All together, that’s over 1,000 units just in
King County. There is much more work ahead to tackle the housing
affordability and homelessness crisis. This is always top of mind for
me, and I will continue doing everything I can in Congress to help folks
keep a roof over their head.”
In the government funding bill Trump signed into law on February
3, 2026, Senator Murray secured a $4.1 billion—or 6 percent—increase in
rental assistance programs and a $366 million increase in homeless
assistance programs,
while rejecting President Trump’s proposals to block-grant, and impose
harmful work requirements and time limits on these critical programs
that support over 10 million Americans. This includes:
$38.4 billion for tenant-based rental assistance—a $2.4 billion
boost—to continue to serve more than 2.3 million very low- and extremely
low-income households nationwide.
$18.5 billion for project-based rental assistance, an
increase of $1.6 billion above last year’s funding level, to continue
to house more than 1.3 million very low- and low-income households
nationwide.
$4.4 billion for the Homeless Assistance Grants Program, a
$366 million increase over fiscal year 2025. The bill includes $107
million in new funding to address youth homelessness and $52 million in
new funding to support survivors of domestic violence.
New guardrails to protect Continuum of Care (CoC) grants from Trump administration sabotage. The
legislation requires HUD to automatically renew Continuum of Care
grants that are expiring in 2026 if HUD does not make awards for fiscal
year 2025 funds by the beginning of each quarter in 2026. Washington
state, alongside other states and nonprofits, has sued HUD over their
delay in getting fiscal year 2025 grants out the door and the radical
and illegal policy changes the Trump administration has tried to make to
how these funds are distributed—moves that have jeopardized housing for
hundreds of thousands of Americans and jobs at organizations who assist
people experiencing homelessness. Senator Murray held a roundtable in Everett last year to discuss Trump’s threats to CoC grants and her efforts to fight back.
Funding and new flexibilities to continue supporting over 50,000 Emergency Housing Vouchers for
people experiencing homelessness and fleeing domestic violence and
human trafficking. This program faced a funding cliff that, if left
unaddressed, would have cut 110,000 individuals off from housing
assistance.
Maintained $1.25 billion for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, the
largest federal block grant to states and local governments to expand
the supply of affordable housing. President Trump and House Republicans
tried to eliminate this program entirely.
Protected funding for the Community Development Block Grant
Program and Native American Programs—important funding sources for
state, local, and Tribal governments to carry out housing and economic
development activities.
$156 million—a $16 million boost—for the Family Self-Sufficiency Program, to
renew service coordinators that help Section 8 and public housing
residents achieve self-sufficiency and economic independence. This
program has been used by a number of housing authorities in Washington
state to help families access services including job training,
employment counseling, financial literacy, and homeownership counseling.
Senator Murray also secured $25.712 million in
Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) for local affordable housing
projects in communities across Washington state, and $15.9 million in
Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) for local projects providing
critical resources like childcare, affordable food, diapers and hygiene
supplies, and housing services, including:
$3,000,000 for the Low Income Housing Institute for the construction of affordable, transit-oriented housing units.
$1,500,000 for the Seattle Indian Services Commission for the
construction of affordable housing, an early learning center, and a
child care facility.
$512,000 for Community Roots Housing for preservation and safety upgrades to affordable housing units.
$2,500,000 for Friends of Youth for the construction of new
affordable housing units on their Griffin Campus in Renton to support
foster families.
$1,800,000 for Bellwether Housing for construction of affordable housing units in Seattle.
$3,150,000 for the City of Seattle Office of Housing
for the Fort Lawton Redevelopment project, including design of
infrastructure and permitting work to support construction of affordable
housing units and public parkland.
Senator Murray has consistently worked to address Washington state’s
housing affordability and homelessness crisis and has secured major
federal investments to help families keep a roof over their heads.
Throughout the pandemic, Senator Murray—then Assistant Majority
Leader—played a major role in writing federal COVID-19 relief
legislation that secured essential support for people facing housing
insecurity, championing sizable investments in rental assistance and
other programs that collectively resulted in the largest eviction
prevention effort in American history.
Last year, Senator Murray joined Democrats in warning
how the Trump administration’s major staffing cuts at HUD will decimate
the ability to deliver basic services and would further exacerbate the
housing crisis and would likely prevent HUD from being able to meet
critical functions like supporting disaster recovery efforts. In May,
she held a roundtable in Everett to
hear from local housing and homelessness prevention organizations
affected by the Trump administration’s senseless decision to jeopardize
Continuum of Care grant funding by placing new, potentially unlawful
conditions on the grant funding. At a hearing in June,
Senator Murray grilled HUD Secretary Scott Turner on Trump’s fiscal
year 2026 budget request for HUD and its sweeping staff losses and
funding freezes that are already hurting communities across the country.
In September, Senator Murray called for an investigation
into the HUD’s handling of the grant award process for the Continuum of
Care (CoC) Builds program, after HUD notified the communities across
the country that it was once again scrapping the grant application
process it had just run—for the second time—and that it was now forcing
organizations to apply for funding for a third time. And in November, Senator Murray led Democrats in a letter
to Secretary Turner calling on him to immediately halt reported plans
to make drastic changes to the Continuum of Care program, which could
result in nearly 200,000 Americans being forced out of their housing and
back into homelessness.
The
Supreme Court announced a new software on Tuesday to help the
justices identify when they should recuse from a case, the court’s
latest effort to respond to mounting ethics scrutiny.
Updated court rules will require lawyers to
provide the stock ticker symbols of all companies involved in their
case to aid in the new checks. The changes take effect March 16.
“Most
of the changes are designed to support operation of newly developed
software that will assist in identifying potential conflicts for the
Justices, and the revisions impose a number of new requirements upon
filers to support the software,” the court said in a statement.
The
justices regularly recuse when they own direct stock holdings in a
company involved in a case or when they’ve previously participated in
the case while serving as a judge on a lower court.
The
Jeffrey Epstein scandal isn’t going anywhere — despite the recent
release of roughly 3 million documents by the Department of Justice.
The story’s longevity is partly because of the horrific scale of Epstein’s predations.
The
latest releases also placed a shadow over the previous accounts given
by allies of President Trump — from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to
Elon Musk — regarding their dealings with Epstein.
[. . .]
Beyond all of that, there is the broader fear and anger raised by the nature of the Epstein story.
Specifically,
it stokes the sense of a wealthy and powerful elite hovering above the
rest of society, forming a chummy circle of mutual protection, and
remaining out of reach of the laws and ethical standards to which
everyone else is subject.
At a time when
anti-elitist populism is already one of the strongest animating
political forces in the United States — and in many other parts of the
world — the Epstein story is rocket fuel.
French
police searched the Arab World Institute in Paris on Monday as part of a
probe into its former head, ex-culture minister Jack Lang, and his
links to late convicted United States sex offender Jeffrey Epstein,
prosecutors said.
France's National Financial
Prosecutor (PNF) said in a statement that the Arab World Institute was
among several locations being raided.
Prosecutors
this month opened a preliminary investigation of Lang and his daughter,
Caroline, on suspicion of tax fraud following the release of documents
on Epstein in the US
Lang, who was culture
minister under the late Socialist president Francois Mitterrand,
resigned this month from the Arab World Institute, which he had led
since 2013.
He has said he was unaware of
Epstein's crimes despite corresponding with him between 2012 and 2019,
11 years after the financier was convicted of soliciting prostitution
from an underage girl. Epstein died in prison by suicide in 2019.
Hyatt
Hotels Corp. Executive Chairman Tom Pritzker said he would retire from
his position at the company and won’t stand for reelection to its board,
citing an association with the late disgraced financier Jeffrey
Epstein.
“My job and responsibility is to
provide good stewardship. That is important to me. Good stewardship
includes ensuring a proper transition at Hyatt,” Pritzker said in a news
release on Monday from the Pritzker Organization. He said he decided to
quit the role he’s held since 2004 after discussions with fellow board
members.
Chump
is a member of The Epstein Class and made clear to then US House Rep
Marjorie Taylor Greene that he intended to protect his friends.
Attorney
General Pam Bondi tried to pacify critics of the Justice Department’s
handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files by sending Congress a letter
Saturday with a list of 130 names—which for some reason, included dead
celebrities.
The list contains some absurd
names, including people whom Epstein had merely mentioned but never even
met, such as Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, and Janis Joplin. Monroe
passed away when Epstein was only nine. While the list does include the
names of known Epstein associates such as President Trump, Les Wexner,
and Steve Bannon, it also includes Representatives Thomas Massie and Ro
Khanna, who have pushed for the files release.
Also
named on the list are Trump enemies like George Clooney and former
Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Representative Marjorie Taylor
Greene is also mentioned with her name spelled incorrectly.
Arguably
the most egregious part of the letter, however, is the assertion from
Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that the DOJ had
fulfilled its legal requirements and considers the legal matters of
Epstein and his associates and accomplices settled. Khanna called out
Bondi’s antics on X.
A
new report on Sunday torpedoed one of President Donald Trump's "central
defenses" about his ties to convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump
has often claimed that he has never been credibly accused of wrongdoing
over the course of his relationship with Epstein. He has also claimed
that he never knew of Epstein's crimes, even though the recently
released Epstein files include a transcript of Trump calling a local
police station and telling them about "creepy" Epstein.
But a new report undermines both of those claims. Investigative political reporter Roger Sollenberger reported on
Sunday that Trump was credibly accused of abusing at least two young
girls, citing court records and an internal FBI slideshow that was
released in the latest tranche of Epstein files.
"So
far, Trump — thanks in part to false statements, misdirection, public
confusion, and excessive redactions from his own DOJ — has evaded the
crosshairs of credible allegations in the Epstein files," the report
reads in part.
"However,
this claim — along with the second about Trump’s knowledge of Epstein’s
behavior, from a Maxwell trial witness and included in the same
slideshow — would contradict the narrative that the sitting president
has not been credibly accused of wrongdoing in the Epstein saga," it
continued.
CBS
News reported on the Epstein files release on Saturday in an article
called, "Trump insider Tom Barrack kept in regular contact with Jeffrey
Epstein for years, files show." Barrack is also an administration
ambassador to Turkey.
"President
Trump's longtime confidant Thomas Barrack, now serving as U.S.
ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, was in regular, close
contact with Jeffrey Epstein for years after Epstein's 2008 conviction
for soliciting a minor, a CBS News analysis of over 100 texts and email
exchanges from the newly released Justice Department documents shows,"
according to CBS.
The outlet further reported,
"The correspondence places Barrack, a globe-trotting billionaire, among a
circle of wealthy and influential figures who maintained social contact
with Epstein even as his criminal history became widely known. Their
relationship continued even after Barrack became a prolific fundraiser
for Mr. Trump's 2016 campaign, and later, led his inaugural committee
and became a frequent presence in the White House."
Chump
is "still in the Epstein class” -- as US House Rep Thomas Massie
observed on ABC's THIS WEEK with Martha Raddatz on Sunday:
And
still in The Epstein Class certainly explains why Barrack, Steve Bannon, Robert Kennedy Junior, Alex Acosta, Lutnick and
Musk are not just in Chump's circle but also were in Epstein's circle.
The
latest controversy involves 6 million Justice Department documents
related to the Epstein case. Although evidence and Epstein’s victims
allege his involvement in an international sex trafficking operation,
the FBI and Justice Department issued a memo last July saying that they planned no further charges and no further information on their investigations of Epstein.
But last November, responding to victims’ calls for accountability, Congress overwhelmingly passed a law requiring
the department to release the files within 30 days, while protecting
victims’ names and revealing the names of pedophiles and other
perpetrators.
The New York Times found that references to Trump appear 38,000 times across more than 5,300 documents made
public so far. The department’s decision not to release the remaining
documents has led to predictable speculation that they contain
particularly scandalous allegations about the president and other
high-ranking people.
Becker is calling for an independent counsel to be put in charge of the Epstein documents.
Yesterday,
MEIDASTOUCH NEWS noted that, per the UK's Channel Four, only 2% of the
Epstein documents have been produced by the US Justice Dept.
In other news today, Rev Jesse Jackson has passed away.
The Rev. Jesse
Jackson, whose impassioned oratory and populist vision of a “rainbow
coalition” of the poor and forgotten made him the nation’s most
influential Black figure in the years between the civil rights crusades
of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the election of Barack Obama,
died on Tuesday. He was 84.
His death
was confirmed by his family in a statement, which said that Mr. Jackson
“died peacefully” but did not give a cause or say where he died.
Mr.
Jackson was hospitalized in November for treatment of a rare and
particularly severe neurodegenerative condition, progressive
supranuclear palsy (PSP), according to the advocacy organization he
founded, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. In 2017, he announced that he had
Parkinson’s disease, which in its early stages can produce similar
effects on bodily movements and speech.
[. . .]
With his gospel of seeking common ground, his pleas to “keep hope alive”
and his demands for respect for those seldom accorded it, Mr. Jackson,
particularly in his galvanizing speeches at the Democratic conventions in 1984 and 1988,
enunciated a progressive vision that defined the soul of the Democratic
Party, if not necessarily its policies, in the last decades of the 20th
century.
It was a vision, animated by
the civil rights era, in which an inclusive coalition of people of
color and others who had been at the periphery of American life would
now move to the forefront and transform it.
Jackson was what one pundit called “an American original.”
He was born to an unwed teenage mom in Greenville, South Carolina,
during the Jim Crow era but rose to become a civil rights icon and a
groundbreaking politician who mounted two electrifying runs for the
presidency in the 1980s.
Jackson’s dual bids for the Democratic presidential
nomination inspired Black America and stunned political observers who
marveled at his ability to draw White voters. He was a Black crossover figure long before Barack Obama hit the national stage.
Jackson first rose to national prominence in the 1960s as a
close aide to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. After King’s assassination
in 1968, Jackson became one of the most transformative civil rights
leaders in America — to the chagrin of some of King’s aides, who thought
he was too brash.
But his Rainbow Coalition,
a bold alliance of Blacks, Whites, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native
Americans and LGBTQ people, helped pave the way for a more progressive
Democratic Party.
“Our flag is red, white and blue, but our nation is a
rainbow – red, yellow, brown, Black and White – and we’re all precious
in God’s sight,” Jackson once said.
One of Jackson’s signature phrases was “Keep hope alive.” He
repeated it so often that some began to parody it, but it never seemed
to lose meaning for him. He was a force for social justice over three
eras: the Jim Crow period, the civil rights era and the post-civil
rights era that culminated with the election of Obama and the Black
Lives Matter movement.
Through his eloquence and singular drive, Jackson didn’t
just keep hope alive for himself. His dream of a vibrant, multiracial
America still inspires millions of Americans today.
Jackson’s vision remade the Democratic Party. He was the
first presidential candidate to make support for gay rights a major part
of his campaign platform, and he made a concerted effort to challenge
the Democratic Party’s prioritization of White, moderate, middle-class
voters, says David Masciotra, author of “I Am Somebody: Why Jesse Jackson Matters.”
“A Democratic party that now represents a multicultural America and has
someone like Kamala Harris as the (former) Vice President and Obama as
the former President began in many ways with those Jackson campaigns,”
Masciotra says.
Jackson began his work as an organizer with
the Congress of Racial Equality, participating in marches and sit-ins.
He attended North Carolina A&T State University and graduated with a
degree in sociology. He began rallying student support for King during
his divinity studies at Chicago Theological Seminary and participated in
the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march in Alabama.
Shortly
afterward, Jackson joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference,
or SCLC, to work alongside King full time. He drew praise from King as a
young man running the SCLC’s economic development and empowerment
program, Operation Breadbasket — “we knew he was going to do a good job, but he’s done better than a good job,” King said.
As he grew as an organizer, Jackson married
Jacqueline Brown, who survives him, in 1962. They have five children,
including former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill.
Jackson,
who was at the motel in Memphis, Tennessee, with King when he was
assassinated in 1968, did not let up after King’s death. He took his
vision for Black liberation even further by founding People United to Save Humanity,
or PUSH, in 1971. He resigned from the SCLC that year to start PUSH
after he was suspended from the organization; he was accused of using
the SCLC for personal gain. PUSH worked to improve economic conditions
of Black communities in the country and later expanded to politics with
direct action campaigns and social areas through a weekly radio show and
awards for Black people.
Jackson’s 1984 presidential bid prompted the launch of his National Rainbow Coalition,
which opposed President Ronald Reagan’s policies and advocated for
social programs, voting rights and affirmative action. PUSH and the
National Rainbow Coalition merged in 1996 and are now the Rainbow/PUSH
Coalition.
His 1984 campaign angered some Democrats who said his ideas were too left-leaning and would hurt the party in the general election. Jackson dismissed the concerns.
“The
great responsibility that we have today is to put the poor and the
near-poor back on front of the American agenda,” Jackson said of the
1984 campaign in a 1996 interview with PBS. “This is a dangerous mission, and yet it’s a necessary mission!”
[Rashad] Robinson, the former president of Color of Change, remembers listening
and watching as his family members made their first political donations
after listening to one of Jackson's presidential campaign speeches.
"I didn't understand everything he said, but I understood what it
meant," said Robinson, who later wrote a college paper on Jackson's
campaigns. "He was such a possibility model. There are so many people
who are in politics today who would not be where they are today thanks
to Jesse Jackson. There certainly would be no Barack Obama if there was
no Jesse Jackson. And there would have been no Bill Clinton either."
In 2000, Clinton awarded Jackson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, citing his decades of work to make the world a better place.
"It's
hard to imagine how we could have come as far as we have without the
creative power, the keen intellect, the loving heart, and the relentless
passion of Jesse Lewis Jackson," Clinton said.
Trahern
Crews, who helped found the Black Lives Matter-Minnesota chapter, said
he grew up with Jackson's "I am Somebody" recitations ringing in his
ears. Jackson often led crowds in a call-and-answer chant that usually
included variations on "I may be poor … but I am … Somebody. I may be
young … but I am … Somebody."
"That allowed future generations to stand up and follow and his
footsteps and declare Black Lives Matter and recognize our humanity,"
Crews said. "When we go back and watch videos of Rev. Jesse Jackson
marching and fighting for housing rights, voting rights, ending housing
discrimination and said 'I am Somebody,' that encouraged activists of
today to stand up and fight against 400 years of racist policies in the
United States."
Let's wind down with this from Senator Adam Schiff's office
Freedom 250 group has been
reportedly soliciting high-dollar donations in exchange for preferential
access to President Trump and official government events held for
America’s 250th birthday.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and six Senate colleagues are demanding
information about Freedom 250, a new private entity reportedly
soliciting large private donations while offering donors exclusive
access and other benefits tied to President Donald Trump and events
planned for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America.
In a letter
to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, the Senators demand the
White House produce a list of donors who have given to Freedom 250, who public reports say
were promised benefits including access to White House “VIP” events and
ceremonial roles in the semiquincentennial. The Senator’s inquiry also
seeks an explanation as to how the group is involved in planning the
anniversary events and what ethical guidance the group received from the
Office of Government Ethics or White House ethics officials.
“It is imperative that Congress and the public understand how
decisions are made, who exercises control, and what guardrails exist to
prevent inappropriate donor influence. Absent clear rules, this
structure risks blurring the line between legitimate civic fundraising
and pay‑for‑play access tied to official government functions, an all
too familiar feature of the current Administration,” the Senators wrote.
The Senators raise concern that the arrangement between the federal
government and Freedom 250 could violate federal bribery, conflict of
interest, and ethics laws.
The Senators emphasized the importance of their probe by highlighting
the administration’s poor record of preserving the public trust when it
comes to preferential access to donors, as recently illustrated by
solicitation of private donations by the same Trump-allied fundraiser
for the White House ballroom construction project.
“These circumstances warrant careful scrutiny to ensure that
preparations for the nation’s semiquincentennial remain nonpartisan,
transparent, and focused on the public interest. Furthermore, these
concerns echo previously raised inquiries – which remain unanswered –
regarding the financing of President Trump’s White House ballroom
construction project, which includes private donations from individuals
and corporations whose business interests are directly impacted by the
Administration and its decisions,” the Senators wrote.
Schiff led a similar inquiry
into the financing of the White House ballroom construction in October,
raising concerns about influence donors could exert on the Executive
Branch in exchange for donations to support the reportedly $400 million
price tag.
Joining Schiff in demanding answers on Freedom 250 are Senators
Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Richard Durbin
(D-Ill.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Elizabeth
Warren (D-Mass.).
The full text of the letter can be found here and below.
Dear Ms. Wiles:
We write seeking clarity regarding the funding, governance, and
role of Freedom 250, a private entity planning and promoting events
associated with the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United
States. Recent reporting indicates that Freedom 250 is soliciting large
private donations while offering donors exclusive access and other
benefits tied to the President. These reports raise serious questions
about transparency, potential conflicts of interest, and whether access
to the Administration’s official or quasi‑official activities is being
conditioned on or provided in exchange for financial contributions.
According to public accounts, Freedom 250 appears to operate
alongside, and in some cases overlap with, America250, the
congressionally authorized commission established by the United States
Semiquincentennial Commission Act of 2016 to plan a nonpartisan,
civic‑focused commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the
nation’s founding. To the extent Freedom 250 is shaping major
anniversary programming or coordinating with the White House and federal
agencies, it is imperative that Congress and the public understand how
decisions are made, who exercises control, and what guardrails exist to
prevent inappropriate donor influence. Absent clear rules, this
structure risks blurring the line between legitimate civic fundraising
and pay‑for‑play access tied to official government functions, an all
too familiar feature of the current Administration.
We are particularly concerned by the solicitation for sponsorship
packages circulated to potential Freedom 250 donors promising
supporters who give $1 million or more preferential access to the
President and high-profile events held at or in connection with official
government venues. Linking private contributions – explicitly or
implicitly – to invitations to White House events, photo ops, ceremonial
roles, or other forms of access unavailable to the general public,
raises serious concerns about the auctioning of government activities.
Furthermore, these arrangements may implicate federal bribery, conflict
of interest, or ethics statutes and will be subject to close scrutiny.
These concerns are heightened where events are sponsored, hosted,
or facilitated by the White House or federal agencies, yet appear to
serve President Trump’s political agenda and allies while presenting
opportunities for donor recognition that resemble political fundraising
activity. Government-sponsored civic commemorations should not serve as
platforms for political messaging or partisan activity, nor should they
create opportunities for donors to exert influence with federal
decision-makers under the guise of patriotic celebration. Moreover, the
use of a private entity to raise funds for activities closely associated
with the presidency risks circumventing transparency, disclosure, and
guardrails that ordinarily apply to campaign fundraising or official
government operations.
Taken together, these circumstances warrant careful scrutiny to
ensure that preparations for the nation’s semiquincentennial remain
nonpartisan, transparent, and focused on the public interest.
Furthermore, these concerns echo previously raised inquiries – which
remain unanswered – regarding the financing of President Trump’s White
House ballroom construction project, which includes private donations
from individuals and corporations whose business interests are directly
impacted by the Administration and its decisions. It is also alarming
that Meredith O’Rourke – identified as a lead fundraiser coordinating
private donations for both the White House ballroom project and
Freedom 250 – appears to be centrally involved in soliciting high‑value
contributions tied to access to the Office of the President and
President Trump himself in both efforts.
In order to carry out our oversight responsibilities and provide
transparency to the American public, we request the following
information by February 20, 2026:
Provide a complete list of all individual and corporate donors
who have contributed to Freedom 250 to date, including the amount and
date of each contribution.
Describe any benefits, access, recognition, or other
consideration donors have received or been promised in connection with
their contributions.
Describe Freedom 250’s governance structure, including its
leadership, board members, and any formal or informal role played by
White House officials or federal agencies in its operations or
decision‑making.
Describe Meredith O’Rourke’s specific role in facilitating
fundraising efforts for both the White House ballroom project and
Freedom 250.
Explain how Freedom 250 coordinates with America250, the U.S.
Semiquincentennial Commission, or other federally authorized entities,
including whether funds, programming responsibilities, or branding are
shared.
Describe any ethics guidance sought or received by the White
House regarding Freedom 250’s fundraising practices, donor access, or
relationship to official government activities.
Provide any records of communication between the White House
and/or Freedom 250 leadership and the Office of Government Ethics or
White House designated agency officials.
We look forward to your response and to ensuring that
preparations for the nation’s 250th anniversary reflect transparency,
integrity, and service to the public interest.
