Democratic lawmakers slam Trump "vanity projects" in shadow hearing
Lawmakers hammered the president for bulldozing norms in pursuit of his construction goals and imposing his likeness on buildings, coins and passports.
Congressional Democrats held a shadow hearing Tuesday to heap scorn on President Trump's construction projects around Washington. Republicans did not participate.
"We are experiencing unprecedented corruption in plain sight," said witness Norm Eisen, a former ethics lawyer for the Obama White House who now represents a man accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool.
"The biggest vandal in Washington, D.C., is the president of the United States," Rep. Robert Garcia of California added.
The Trump administration has relied on no-bid contracts in order to expedite construction for certain projects like the White House ballroom and the recent renovation of the Reflecting Pool (which has been drained and is now undergoing repairs). One contract went to a water filtration company owned by a political donor and neighbor of Mr. Trump.
"Government contracts are juicy targets for thieves," said Jon Golinger, a lawyer for left-leaning advocacy group Public Citizen. So far, no court has found that the administration has violated government contracting laws.