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262
Trump hijacked US’s 250 anniversary to serve ‘political ideology and pet projects’, congressional report says (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 21 hours ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world
24 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

House Democratic subcommittee report outlines web of alleged corruption, wire fraud and pay-to-play schemes

Donald 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 released on Thursday.

The interim report, “From Vanity to Insanity: How the White House 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 (NPF).

The document was produced by Democratic staff of the House of Representatives’ natural resources committee’s oversight and investigations subcommittee. It has not been officially adopted by the committee.

“Under President Donald Trump, this anniversary has been hijacked and perverted into a hotbed of corruption and self-enrichment,” it states, contending that the machinery built for a national commemoration was converted “into an apparatus for raising and spending money in service of the President’s ego, political ideology, and pet projects.”

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[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 11 points 11 hours ago

I was in high school for the Bicentennial, and I wondered if I'd live to see 250, and really looked forward to it.

Now it's here, and I have literally zero interest in it. The original concept, which they had been working on since 2016, sounded great, but then Trump hijacked it, stole nearly all the money, and left about 2% of the budget to try to put on some excuse for a celebration.

Fuck these MAGAs, they destroy everything they go near, mostly by stealing all the money. Even if they left the money, and did their very best, they'd still fuck it up, because MAGAs have hillbilly taste, and are virtuosically incompetent.

[–] WanderWisley@lemmy.world 4 points 9 hours ago

America 250 could have and should have been a once in a lifetime event for everyone to enjoy. Instead we get the donny experience of ruining everything and making it about himself.

[–] enkille@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago

i can't believe he acted completely in character!

[–] BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world 4 points 11 hours ago

Isn't this why he can't nonprofit in New York anymore? I don't know how anyone could have seen this coming.

[–] ShredderFeeder@shredderfood.net 67 points 21 hours ago (3 children)

And they wonder why nobody gives a fuck this year...

I have fireworks...but not setting them off on the fourth this year...saving them for the day the big-beautiful-obituary hits the newsstands...

Neighbors are gonna be PISSED.

[–] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io 43 points 21 hours ago

They should be pissed. The whole country should be pissed. I was around for the 200th, and it was a celebration of all of us. This is a disgusting multi-day rally for one guy, and not a very impressive one, unless you count the grift. Truly amazing, the biggest grift.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 25 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Republicans ruin everything. No wonder they are balls-deep on King Merdes. Everything he touches turns to shit.

This could have been one of the coolest July 4th in quite some time. Instead, diaper daddy has to get his grubby mitts on it....

[–] ShredderFeeder@shredderfood.net 11 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

I've been watching the crowds (or lack therof) for the "Freedom 250" bullshit in DC and laughing my everloving ass off.. What a fucking joke...

First off, it's like 1,000 degrees out right now, NO ONE is going to spend all day at the national mall sweating their balls off for a lame 'state fair'

(It's my understanding that State Fairs are usually in the fall, because they were originally intended to celebrate the harvest (or the end of it to be specific)

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 3 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

First off, it’s like 1,000 degrees out right now, NO ONE is going to spend all day at the national mall sweating their balls off for a lame ‘state fair’

(It’s my understanding that State Fairs are usually in the fall, because they were originally intended to celebrate the harvest (or the end of it to be specific)

Also the mosquitoes and gnats and those biting flies that the East has can be annoying AF. At least in the late fall, as long as you don't have an overly warm year, most of that is done with.

I cannot imagine hanging out in DC in 100 degree weather in July. Being stuck in a bullshit fair like this on top of it? 🤮

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 3 points 10 hours ago

At least you don't have to wait in line.

[–] limonfiesta@lemmy.world 1 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (1 children)

I never understood American patriotism outside of celebrating Sherman's based war crime strategy, and parts of WW2.

On a related note, we need a federal holiday specifically recognizing Sherman's patriotic and glorious March to the Sea.

[–] ShredderFeeder@shredderfood.net 2 points 20 hours ago (3 children)

I kind of understand patriotism...what I don't understand is how, in the US, the people who are the "most patriotic" are the ones that usually hate everything about the government...

[–] EntheoNaut@lemmy.ml 4 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

Nah patriotism in the US is a facade for white Christian colonizer nationalism.

Fuck them all.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 2 points 15 hours ago

Yeah, they usually confuse nationalistic performative bullshit for patriotism. Don't let them steal real patriotism from everyone else.

Just because they plaster the flag (and the flag of racists and traitorous losers, too, WTF?!) all over everything and talk about Jesus and the Constitution .... does not a patriot make.

[–] Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world 2 points 17 hours ago

They treat patriotism as a contest and most of their personality.

[–] adarza@lemmy.ca 26 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (1 children)

president dipshit needs to be paying for this whole failed event out-of-pocket (HIS not ours). taxpayers should not be paying even one cent towards a politically motivated and themed multi-day 'rally'.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 4 points 11 hours ago

When he's out, we need to confiscate his entire fortune, for fines, reparations, repayments, repairs, and general remediation for everything he's wrecked. It will take his entire net worth to fix everything he fucked up.

It's okay, he won't need it, he'll be in prison for life (if he's lucky), and his Demonspawn whelps won't have to worry about inheriting anything because they'll be spending their entire lives in prison as well, with their entire fortunes confiscated as well.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 21 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, no shit.

And almost anyone with two brain cells could have predicted the world's most well-known malignant narcissist was going to do so, of course.

[–] kylie_kraft@lemmy.world 6 points 19 hours ago

"if it doesn't benefit me personally, then what's it for?"

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 9 points 17 hours ago

Of course, Fascism 101.

[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 11 points 20 hours ago

Remember, Trump is a symptom of a deeper and older problem. Maybe we should take this anniversary and reflect on the various ways we've screwed up. The 200th was different, as we did have lots of the same issues festering, but there was a feeling of hope to better ourselves. Now we know that was delusional and we should have done some serious housecleaning instead of being so gullible.

[–] Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world 4 points 17 hours ago

person who goes out of his way to make everything about him and openly embezzling...makes the celebration of our country try about himself while openly embezzling money

[–] savvie@lemmy.zip 2 points 20 hours ago

“How is this day different from any other day?”