Remember Hunter Biden? 😂😂😂

Guardian: “Trump staged a hostile takeover of the US’s 250th anniversary celebration to enrich political allies, harvest voter data and promote Christian nationalist ideology, according to a congressional investigation. The report, ‘From Vanity to Insanity: How the WH Cheated the American People Out of Their 250th Birthday’, outlines a web of alleged corruption, wire fraud and pay-to-play schemes orchestrated through a shadow corporation embedded within the National Park Foundation.”

… “In 2016 Congress established the US semiquincentennial commission, operating as the nonprofit America250 Foundation, to plan the nation’s 2026 celebrations on a nonpartisan basis. However, under Trump, the WH launched a sustained pressure campaign to subsume the commission. When America250 leadership resisted its demands to shift focus toward partisan, campaign-style spectacles, the Trump admin created Freedom 250 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the congressionally chartered NPF.”

… “The report finds that, by taking control of the NPF board and installing key campaign operatives such as Meredith O’Rourke and Chris LaCivita, the WH secured an opaque vehicle that enjoyed the NPF’s nonpartisan credibility and tax-exempt status while operating outside standard government transparency laws.

… “The report alleges that Freedom 250 surreptitiously diverted resources intended for America250 for its own benefit, leaving America250 scrambling for funds. Fundraisers misled prospective America250 donors by providing them with Freedom 250’s banking and routing numbers instead. The report finds this could constitute wire fraud and charitable solicitation fraud under federal and DC law.”

… “This deceit extended to the entertainment industry. Artists recruited for the kickoff of the Great American State Fair – including Martina McBride and Young MC – were assured the event was nonpartisan, only to face social media backlash when the event was revealed to be a Trump-backed rally. In the words of Young MC, the booking was a ‘bait and switch.’”

… NOTUS: “A local OH historical society had hoped to go big for America’s 250th anniversary. It settled on what it could afford: a limited ‘passport’ project to encourage people to visit and engage with local history sites. Local libraries and historical associations across the country were instead forced to abandon planning for ambitious history and civics initiatives when the Trump admin axed fed funding for state and local humanities projects last year.”

… “In nearly every state and territory across the country, the official humanities nonprofits created by a congressional mandate to help make history and literature accessible to all Americans had to give up their anniversary planning when DOGE pulled their fed funding. By the time Elon Musk walked away from DOGE last year, state humanities councils were left with just enough cash to keep them from going under.”

… “Then, the Trump admin redirected tens of millions of dollars from the DOGE cuts toward the president’s plans for a triumphal arch and a statuary garden of ‘American heroes’ in DC. In the end, Trump’s focus on the nation’s landmark birthday made it harder for local groups across the country to plan their own celebratory projects.”