U.S. Department of the Interior, etc., suspected of destroying 'Trump Project' documents in preparation for congressional investigation

CNN reported on the 10th (local time) that there has been a series of reports from whistleblowers that the U.S. Department of the Interior and other departments are destroying documents related to President Donald Trump's construction projects in the Washington, D.C. area in preparation for an investigation by the next Congress controlled by the Democratic Party.

The report, citing sources in Congress, said several credible whistleblowers have approached the House Natural Resources Committee in recent weeks with concerns that the Interior Department is destroying documents.

Accordingly, Rep. Jared Huffman (California), the Democratic ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee and who will serve as chairman of the committee in the 120th Congress to be inaugurated in early January next year, plans to request the preservation of all records and data not only from the Department of the Interior, but also from the Department of Agriculture, agencies under the Department of the Interior, and private companies.

CNN reported that agencies under the Department of the Interior include the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management, and private companies known to have donated to Trump projects, such as Lockheed Martin and John Deere.

In response, an Interior Department spokesperson strongly denied the whistleblowers' claims, calling them "100% false" and saying, "The Department of the Interior is complying with all federal records management obligations under the direction of ethics officers."

Rep. Huffman predicted a major investigation in the next Congress, saying, "Everything is coming. A whole new era will begin."

In addition, natural resources committee aides expect to hold a hearing on the East Potomac golf course remodeling project and the Arc de Triomphe construction project that President Trump is pursuing in Washington immediately after the inauguration of the new Congress. This committee has even prepared to issue a subpoena in case the administration interferes with the investigation.

Rep. Huffman believes these activities could prevent some projects from moving forward. “We will have the tools to stop a lot of that because we have the standing to take it to court if necessary,” he said.

Accordingly, the Trump administration is moving to promote several projects promoted by President Trump as quickly as possible by the end of the year.

In addition to the Arc de Triomphe and the East Potomac Golf Course project, there is work to install a fence in Lafayette Park, north of the White House, and the 'American Heroes National Garden' plan to erect 250 statues of historical figures at Tidal Basin, an artificial lake southwest of the Capitol.

“President Trump is moving at lightning speed because he has no time to waste in his mission to make America greater than ever,” White House press secretary Davis Engle told CNN.