Incoming committee chairs seek records on $800 million in corporate donations to the president's pet projects
By Annie Linskey
WASHINGTON -- Democrats set to control key congressional investigative committees are questioning President Trump's chief fundraiser Meredith O'Rourke, requesting information about her role in raising more than $800 million for the president's key projects and saying that her operation "reeks of potential corruption."
A letter sent Wednesday lays out what the lawmakers call "the appearance of widespread corruption" in Trump's fundraising practices, ticking through instances where major companies including Capital One, SoftBank Group and Lockheed Martin made major donations to Trump priorities and subsequently received favorable treatment from the federal government.
The letter -- signed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.); incoming chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.); and incoming House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Robert Garcia (D., Calif.) -- is an early example of what is expected to be many information requests from the lawmakers as they probe the unprecedented fundraising operation that Trump created in office and his alleged self-dealing.
"President Trump is the most successful fundraiser in political history, and he is deeply grateful to his donors, but one thing has never changed: He can't be bought," said a spokeswoman for Trump and O'Rourke. "Democrats' accusations are absurd, baseless and full of hypocrisy."
Capital One, which donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund, and SoftBank, which donated $50 million to the presidential library, declined to comment. Lockheed, which gave more than $10 million to projects, has previously said its engagement with the government complies with laws and regulations.
O'Rourke has been the main point of contact for companies giving to the White House ballroom and many of Trump's marquee projects, soliciting tens of millions of dollars from them, The Wall Street Journal reported in July. Trump provides her with names to call for asking for donations -- often including people who have recently met with him. Trump has praised her work and given her the nickname "princess of darkness."
Her asks can range from $5 million to $50 million -- jaw-dropping amounts for a sitting president to request -- and she will press hard for gifts saying: "This is very important to the president" and "the boss wants this money," the Journal reported. At times, she has sat in on meetings with Trump and business executives.
"You facilitate an operation that raises serious questions about quid pro quo politics," the lawmakers wrote to O'Rourke in their letter, citing the Journal's reporting.
The Democratic lawmakers requested a list of all of the companies and donors she has personally solicited for money and the outcomes of her requests. They also asked O'Rourke to provide the information on how she is compensated and the roles she plays in meetings with executives. The lawmakers requested that she respond by Nov. 25.
Last week's election gave Democrats new majorities in the House and the Senate and what many have seen as a mandate to take on allegations of corruption in the Trump administration.
The White House has been preparing for an onslaught of investigations and earlier this week warned Garcia that there are constitutional limitations on investigative functions and that some Democrats have crossed the line with verbal threats that may be criminal. It is a sign of the aggressive and combative posture the White House plans to take against investigations.
The new Democratic committee chairs will have subpoena power when they take over. The White House has indicated that they don't plan to cooperate with subpoenas -- but O'Rourke isn't a White House employee.