The Senate version of the coronavirus relief bill includes $1.75 billion for building a new FBI headquarters in downtown DC.
americanoversight.org/investigation/…
americanoversight.org/investigation/…
In 2017, the Trump administration scrapped a plan to relocate the FBI headquarters from its current location — a block away from the Trump International Hotel — to the DC suburbs.
We’ve been investigating what influence the White House and the Trump Organization might have had over a decision that ensures a huge city block remains free of competition for the president’s hotel.
In 2018, we FOIA'd DOJ, FBI, OMB, & GSA for records of three meetings where Trump was reportedly involved in the decision. We also requested any communications those agencies had with the White House or key people from the Trump Organization.
In late October 2018, after the agencies failed to turn over records, we filed a suite of lawsuits to compel the release of requested documents. Those cases are still ongoing.
In March 2020, a judge ruled in our lawsuit against the OMB that the office had unlawfully restricted its search for records and that it must conduct a new search.
americanoversight.org/document/opini…
americanoversight.org/document/opini…
In April, another federal judge ruled in our lawsuit against the GSA, OMB, DOJ, & FBI that the agencies had also conducted inadequate searches.
americanoversight.org/the-administra…
americanoversight.org/the-administra…
The funding for the downtown FBI headquarters is unrelated to coronavirus relief funding and raises further concerns that Trump is wielding his power to further his business interests. We will continue to demand answers.
