US House Democrats are demanding that the Trump administration preserve records related to President Donald Trump’s Washington construction projects after whistleblowers warned that the Interior Department was disposing of government documents ahead of congressional scrutiny by the incoming Democratic majority.
Multiple whistleblowers had approached the House Natural Resources Committee in recent weeks, raising concerns that records were being destroyed in anticipation of investigations once Democrats take control of the House in January, CNN reported.
United States Representative Jared Huffman, the committee’s top Democrat, plans to send letters to the Interior Department, other federal agencies and private companies, demanding that they preserve all documents and data relevant to the panel’s oversight.
The letters will also go to the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management, both part of the Interior Department, as well as the Agriculture Department and companies including Lockheed Martin and John Deere, which have donated to Trump’s projects. The whistleblowers’ concerns, however, specifically point to the Interior Department.
Recipients will be required to certify that they are preserving existing records, identifying and recovering deleted information, and suspending any document destruction or deletion practices.
The Interior Department dismissed the allegations as “100% false,” saying it complies with all federal records management requirements.
The move comes as the administration seeks to fast-track several projects that Trump considers part of his legacy, with the aim of advancing them before Democrats take control of the House.
Sources familiar with the approval processes say several projects are expected to undergo federal approval and historic preservation reviews over the next two months.
Among the projects are a proposed 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, the so-called “Arc de Trump,” which is a play on the name of Paris’s famous Arc de Triomphe, renovations to the East Potomac golf course, fencing around Lafayette Square and a development plan for the Tidal Basin that includes a Garden of American Heroes.
Huffman told CNN that the committee could use subpoenas and legal action to block some of the projects from moving forward. The panel is also coordinating with the House Oversight and Judiciary committees on investigations into the administration.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle defended the accelerated timetable, saying Trump was moving quickly because “we don’t have time to waste” in his effort to make "America greater."
Trump’s plans to reshape Washington have faced mounting opposition over their potential impact on historic landmarks, public spaces and the capital’s architectural character.
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