Top Kennedy Center official urged closure due to financial problems, not poor conditions, lawyers argue
Beatty says managers hid analyses showing renovations could continue without a shutdown as she asks a judge to keep the injunction in place.
- On Friday, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty filed court documents challenging President Donald Trump's administration over plans to shutter the Kennedy Center for two years, arguing officials concealed evidence contradicting claims the facility is "dangerously dilapidated and decrepit."
- Beatty's attorneys allege management misled trustees by claiming phased renovations would cost more than $300 million extra, while a hidden contractor estimate put the actual increase closer to $41 million.
- The filing further asserts officials falsely claimed $257 million in congressional appropriations required spending by 2029, when the actual deadline is 2034, according to Beatty's attorneys.
- A federal judge will hear arguments on Tuesday, November 3, while a temporary restraining order currently compels the Kennedy Center to remain open and operating within its REACH annex.
- The dispute stems from efforts to add Trump's name to the building, a move twice blocked by courts, which prompted the board's September vote to close the facility.
15 Articles
15 Articles
The center's management is suspected of using the renovation as an excuse to close the center.
Court filing cites internal pressure to close Kennedy Center
Lawyers for a Democratic member of Congress who is suing to block plans to shutter the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for renovations have cited internal documents to argue that the closure is intended to mask the center’s decline under President Donald Trump’s stewardship.
New Court Filing Says Kennedy Center Went 'Broke' After Trump Takeover, Exposes Inflated 'Renovation' Costs and Debunks Trump's Closure Claims
The Trump administration has spent months defending its plan to shut down the Kennedy Center for two years, claiming the historic venue is dangerously deteriorated and needs a massive renovation. But newly filed court documents paint a troubling picture of an institution struggling financially, questionable renovation estimates, and a push to shut down the historic venue that may not have been as necessary as the administration claimed.
Eighteen months after President Donald Trump intervened to transform the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts into his image and likeness, a senior board concerned about the financial losses of the Washington institution, he urged...
Top Kennedy Center official urged closure due to financial problems, not poor conditions, lawyers argue
Eighteen months after President Donald Trump stepped in to remake the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in his image, a top official worried about the Washington institution’s hemorrhaging finances urged for it to be shut down, according to court documents filed on behalf of the Ohio congresswoman seeking to stop the center from being shuttered.
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