Trump DOJ threatens Senator Blumenthal over White House ballroom probe

U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz, a Trump appointee, told Sen. Richard Blumenthal this week that his probe into the White House ballroom could bring "significant legal consequences," according to a letter the prosecutor posted to X. Blumenthal, the incoming chair of a Senate investigations subcommittee, fired back that the implied threat of an investigation is "baseless." "I will not be intimidated," he wrote in his reply to Reitz.

Reitz's letter orders Blumenthal to hold onto emails and other records tied to the investigation and accuses him of trying to intimidate Americans over their "constitutionally protected associations" with the president. It cites two federal criminal statutes, including one covering conspiracies to violate constitutional rights, but stops short of saying the senator is under criminal investigation. Blumenthal must confirm by November 18 whether he complied with the documents request; the letter warns that destroying evidence could bring criminal consequences. "Congress is not a weapon to be wielded against the American people," Reitz wrote on X. "I'm taking the first step to stop this abuse of power."

Blumenthal called the move "just the latest in a series of unlawful actions" by the administration and said he will "vigorously pursue investigations into this administration's misuse of taxpayer dollars and any corporate entity that has enabled its boundless corruption." He wants the public to know the terms under which dozens of companies were persuaded to donate millions to the president's projects — and whether lawsuits were dismissed, contracts awarded or regulations left unenforced in return. In his own letter, he told Reitz to preserve his records and correspondence, including all communications with the White House and Justice Department about the letter.

Documents first obtained by The Washington Post lay out $333 million in private gifts, including previously undisclosed contributions from big corporations, Republican mega-donors and entities that are regulated by or seeking contracts from federal agencies. The White House named 37 donors last October but did not disclose individual sums. Nvidia and Apple each pledged $25 million, records show, as did the Adelson family and Charles Ergen, the chairman of Dish Network. Amazon, Comcast, Microsoft, T-Mobile and Caterpillar are among the backers committing $5 million or more.

Trump toured the bare floor of the under-construction ballroom last week, his first public appearance after a historic streak of Republican midterm losses, calling it his "safest" space in Washington, D.C. The project replaced the demolished East Wing: a 90,000-square-foot, heavily fortified structure that government lawyers described in summer court filings as "a knitted, unified, cohesive part of the East Wing Project, which is vital for National Security." The Justice Department has listed bomb shelters, a hospital, Top Secret military installations and drone-proof, missile-resistant and blast-proof features. An initial $200 million estimate has ballooned, with costs now put at as much as $600 million — half of it likely covered by public funds. Across his renovation projects in the capital, Trump has spent or plans to spend more than $1.65 billion in taxpayer dollars.