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Whistleblowers have told top Democrats that the Department of the Interior has been destroying key documents before the left gains control of Congress.
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left → sign → Congress
Jared Huffman of California, the ranking Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, has said he wants to dig into Trump´s White House ballroom and other construction projects, as well as the Trump family´s role in mineral deals.
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he → say → deals
He claims that whistleblowers have approached the committee claiming the Interior Department is destroying records to avoid potential investigations, CNN reported.
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CNN → claim → investigations
Interior under Doug Burgum has been heavily focused on many of Trump's projects to beautify national parkland, including the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
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Interior → focus → Pool
Huffman sent out multiple letters on Tuesday to various department officials, the director of the Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service and the CEOs of multiple private companies with business in Washington, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin and John Deere.
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Huffman → send → Boeing
The letters requested that those addressed 'preserve all records and data responsive to oversight' from the committee.
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those → request → committee
None of the whistleblowers have accused any of the private companies or any agencies outside the Interior Department of destroying documents.
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None → accuse → documents
Anyone who gets a letter, however, must send a response that affirms they will preserve records, find any deleted information and stop any attempts to delete information.
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they → get → information
Whistleblowers have told top Democrats that the Department of the Interior has destroyed key documents before the left gains control of Congress.
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left → tell → Congress
Pictured: Donald Trump shakes hands with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum
Jared Huffman (pictured) of California, the ranking Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, has said he wants to dig into Trump´s White House ballroom and other construction projects, as well as the Trump family´s role in mineral deals
Huffman aides claim that the committee will hold hearings on many of Trump's key projects, including his triumphal arch, his attempts to overhaul a DC public golf course and the Tidal Basin Development Concept plan, including Trump's Garden of American Heroes
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committee → picture → Heroes
Those projects are in a rush to get done before the new Congress is in session in January, drawing criticism from preservationists.
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Congress → do → preservationists
Federal agencies will have to approve some of these projects, which puts a time crunch on getting it done before Republicans give up power.
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Republicans → have → power
In a statement to CNN, the department said it 'follows all federal records management obligations as directed by the Department's ethics officials.'
They added that Huffman's claims were '100 percent false.
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claims → say → officials
'President Trump is moving at lightning speed because we don't have time to waste in our mission to make America greater than ever before,' added White House spokesperson Davis Ingle.
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Ingle → move → mission
'For two years, this administration has stonewalled us and kept the American people in the dark while Democrats have fought tirelessly to daylight and stop their corruption.
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Democrats → stonewall → corruption
said Huffman.
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Huffman → say → ?
'I am sending a message to President Trump and his allies: our investigations will continue full steam ahead.
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investigations → send → Trump
The American people deserve to know what you did with their government and their money, and we intend to get them answers.
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we → deserve → answers
Interior under Doug Burgum has been heavily focused on many of Trump's projects to beautify national parkland, including the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
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Interior → focus → Pool
A federal judge blocked construction of Donald Trump's proposed colossal 250-foot 'Triumphal Arch' in Washington on Thursday night (pictured: a mockup of the proposed arch)
Last week, a federal judge gave Huffman a victory when they blocked construction of the arch, just hours after his administration declared work may begin 'immediately.'
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work → block → arch
Judge Tanya Chutkan dealt Trump a major setback, granting a temporary restraining order that prevents his administration from starting work on his so-called 'Arc de Trump.'
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that → deal → Trump
The mammoth monument, planned for a site near Arlington National Cemetery, would tower roughly 25 stories above the ground, though exactly how much it would cost remains a mystery.
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cost → plan → much
Estimates have put the price tag at as much as $100 million, but officials have yet to settle on a final figure or reveal how the project would be paid for.
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project → put → how
Chutkan had previously ordered the administration to give her advance notice before construction began, allowing her to intervene before any work could get underway.
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work → order → notice
Her latest order has thrown the project's timeline into further uncertainty, leaving the start of the three-year construction plan up in the air.
But the legal setback is not Trump's only headache.
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setback → throw → air
Democrats, riding high after their historic midterm victories on Tuesday, have vowed to kill the project when they take control of the House and Senate in January.
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they → rid → January
'The Great Gatsby party is over,' warned Huffman, just hours before a federal panel convened to vote on Trump's ambitious arch idea.
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panel → warn → idea
Last week, a federal judge gave Huffman a victory when they blocked construction of the arch, just hours after his administration declared work may begin 'immediately'
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work → give → arch
It’s a monstrosity.
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It → ’ → ?
It’s a slap in the face to veterans and to the history and the aesthetics of this sacred place,' he added.
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he → ’ → place
'It’s unthinkable that this would be allowed to proceed.'
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this → ’ → ?
Just hours before Chutkan's ruling, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), the federal agency overseeing major construction and development in Washington, voted 8-4 in favor of the proposed arch.
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Commission → oversee → arch
The contentious decision came after nearly nine hours of heated public testimony, with administration officials claiming construction could get underway within the next 24 hours.
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construction → come → hours
The vote laid bare a growing rift between Trump's allies and local officials, who have mounted fierce opposition to the monument.
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who → lay → monument
Supporters of the arch were largely members of the Trump administration or figures with close ties to the president, while those opposing it represented the city of Washington.
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those → oppose → Washington
Members of Congress, veterans, architects and residents from DC and Virginia came out swinging against the proposal, with some branding the monstrous structure an extravagant tribute to Trump's ego.
'Trump is a president, not a king,' Rep Huffman testified at Thursday afternoon's commission hearing.
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Huffman → come → hearing
Marine veteran Jimi Shaughnessy said: 'A dominating arch with a carnival-like atmosphere of tourists, food trucks and buses is abhorrent and insulting to those who gave all and to their families.
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who → say → families
Members of Congress, veterans, architects and residents from DC and Virginia came out swinging, with some branding the monstrous structure an extravagant tribute to Trump's ego
'Instead of focusing on the issues facing military families, this administration is intent on spending taxpayer dollars to site, plan, and design a monument no one asked for, and are content with bypassing any laws or regulations that may prevent them from breaking ground,' he added.
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he → come → ground
But the project was swiftly thrown into limbo after the Obama-appointed judge issued a 14-day restraining order prohibiting the government from carrying out any 'construction-related activity' as the legal fight continues.
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fight → throw → activity
The restraining order was granted at the request of Virginia and the District of Columbia, which filed a lawsuit challenging the arch's construction on October 31.
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which → grant → October
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
