…If the destruction of the #EastWing is a shock, the #money that’s paying for it might be even more of a #scandal. The #WhiteHouse, eager to assure Americans that their tax dollars have not been diverted for a #vanity project, has emphasized that the #ballroom is being financed by individuals & major #corporations. Instead of going through a process to obtain & disburse federal funds, #Trump simply asked companies his admin is supposed to be #regulating to write checks [ #bribery / #extortion].
The list of donors released by the #WhiteHouse includes the usual deep-pocketed #Republicans, such as #casino magnate #MiriamAdelson & private-equity mogul #StephenSchwarzman, but also a host of companies whose leaders have huge incentives to maintain good relations with an often vindictive head of state. They include #telecom giants & the #railroad giant Union-Pacific—which needs the #Trump admin’s sign-off on a proposed $85 billion merger with Norfolk Southern.