Senate Probe Alleges Kennedy Center Was Used To Reward Trump Allies

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has launched a formal Senate investigation into allegations that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has been operated in recent months to benefit allies of President Donald Trump. The inquiry follows a controversial board reshuffle, the appointment of Richard Grenell as president, and reports of preferential contracts, steep discounts and luxury hospitality charges tied to individuals and organisations connected to the new leadership.

What Happened

Whitehouse — the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee and an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board — says committee documents suggest the centre has been run as a "slush fund and private club" for Trump allies. The probe was prompted by documents and invoices that Democrats say show the centre granted favourable access and financial benefits to organisations and people linked to the administration.

Key Allegations

Among the central claims are:

• Richard Grenell granted FIFA exclusive, campus-wide use of the Kennedy Center for the World Cup draw (24 Nov–12 Dec), which Whitehouse estimates cost the centre $5,038,444 in lost rental fees, rescheduling, labour and services.
• Contracts showed steep rental discounts and waived fees for conservative groups — NewsNation received a $19,820 discount for a town hall and the American Conservative Union Foundation received a $21,982.60 discount for a CPAC-related event, with files noting "waived costs from OOP" (Office of the President).
• Monthly consulting contracts were awarded to people with personal or political ties to Grenell — including a $15,000/month agreement with a former colleague and a $10,833.33/month contract to Jeff Halperin, husband of Kari Lake, for social-media services.
• Significant hospitality and entertainment charges appear on invoices: $27,185 for Watergate Hotel rooms and $10,773.19 for private meals, dinners and alcohol charged to the centre between April and July.

Responses From Grenell And The Kennedy Center

Grenell has vigorously denied wrongdoing, calling Whitehouse's accusations "partisan attacks and false accusations." He says prior leadership left the institution in financial disarray and that FIFA paid "several million dollars" and covered expenses for its event in lieu of a rental fee. The Kennedy Center's vice-president of public relations, Roma Daravi, likewise said FIFA paid multimillions and accused the senator of sharing misleading information with the press.

"FIFA has given us several million dollars, in addition to paying all of the expenses for this event in lieu of a rental fee," Grenell wrote in his response to the senator.

Whitehouse counters that Grenell has not provided supporting documentation to substantiate those claims and that the committee's estimates are based on contracts and programming impacts documented by staff.

Broader Context And Next Steps

Whitehouse and Democrats on the EPW committee say they will continue to press for documents and records to determine whether public resources were improperly redirected to political allies. The senator framed the controversy as part of a wider cultural agenda in a possible second Trump term, citing other administration initiatives — such as proposed monuments and scrutiny of Smithsonian content — as evidence of an effort to shape national cultural institutions.

The EPW committee's investigation remains active. Whitehouse said, "We’re going to continue to dig away until we’re sure that we understand the depths of the problem." Grenell and Kennedy Center officials maintain their actions were defensible and necessary to stabilize the institution.

Note: Members of the Kennedy family have also criticised moves to rename the centre — an action that would require an act of Congress — after reports that the building was temporarily labelled with the name of the current president.