Former Kennedy Center employees accused the iconic performing arts venue’s leadership in a letter to Congress of halting planned waterproofing repairs earlier this year.
In the Thursday letter, David Seide, an attorney representing the whistleblowers, shared internal documents which he said challenged the Kennedy Center board’s claims that these leaks warranted the venue’s immediate closure.
The board, led by President Trump, cited these leaks in its decision last week to temporarily close the center’s main building to assess renovation needs, saying the facility was “unsafe for continued occupancy.”
The New York Times was the first to report on this letter.
Seide said the Kennedy Center’s executive director, Matt Floca, knew about these leakage issues “for years” and canceled planned repairs earlier this year despite receiving $9.3 million from Congress for this renovation.
“In sum, the evidence shows that the New Problems were in fact well known, were not considered to be high priorities and that millions in taxpayer funds were set aside more than a year ago to address them,” Seide wrote.
His letter also alleges Floca diverted congressionally appropriated funds for repairs to make “unplanned cosmetic changes” requested by Trump to repaint the main building’s columns white last year.
The board has directed several other cosmetic changes to the Kennedy Center’s campus under Trump’s leadership, including the temporary addition of the president’s name to the main building’s...
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