Press Releases

Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Government Operations, released the following statement after the Washington Post reportedthat President Trump is demanding language to keep the FBI’s headquarters at its current location in the next coronavirus package.

“Even in the midst of the worst pandemic in a hundred years, the President can’t help but try and benefit himself. Holding hostage critical assistance Americans desperately need just so he can protect Trump Hotel is disgusting and shameful. We know from my Subcommittee’s investigation that the Administration tried to cover up his involvement in the FBI HQ project. Now the corruption is out in the open.”

In  February 2018, Connolly requested the GSA Inspector General look into the FBI headquarters decision. That report was released in August 2018,  and found that the President was more involved in this procurement than Administration officials were letting on in their sworn testimony to Congress. 

According to the IG, “The GSA Administrator’s testimony before the House Appropriations Committee, Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee on April 17, 2018, was incomplete and may have left the misleading impression that she had no discussions with the President or senior White House officials in the decision-making process about the project.” In fact, the IG reports that there are actual photographs of the GSA Administrator, the FBI Director, and others meeting with the President regarding the FBI headquarters project on January 24, 2018.

The full IG report can be found here.