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Whistleblowers Accuse Kennedy Center Officials of Halting Planned Repairs Later Used to Justify Closure
Whistleblowers say officials canceled $9.3 million in leak repairs months before the center closed, while management says newer reviews found worse damage.
- On Thursday, former Kennedy Center employees alleged in a letter to Congress that leadership canceled planned roof repairs despite citing those same leaks as an urgent safety risk justifying the building's temporary closure.
- Kennedy Center Director Matt Floca allegedly halted remediation six months ago despite securing $9.3 million in federal funding for the project last year, documents received by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island indicate.
- The letter further reported that the institution diverted $1.4 million previously allocated for waterproofing repairs to finance a $4.4 million project painting the center's exterior columns white, a priority for President Donald Trump.
- In a statement on Friday, the Kennedy Center disputed the claims, asserting that "the safety of our patrons, artists, and staff comes first" and that recent reviews revealed more pronounced structural damage than previously known.
- The controversy unfolds amid ongoing legal challenges from Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty to block the center's closure, while Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trump have cited falling plaster as evidence of "completely unsafe conditions.
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Whistleblowers accuse Kennedy Center officials of halting planned repairs later used to justify closure
By Aleena Fayaz, Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — Whistleblowers are alleging that Kennedy Center officials halted plans earlier this year to repair leaks in the building, which the Trump administration has highlighted as its reason to close the storied arts institution.In a letter to Congress Thursday, obtained by CNN, a lawyer representing the anonymous whistleblowers
·Panama City, United States
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Whistleblowers cite canceled Kennedy Center repairs before closure | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Former employees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts say that center officials canceled a plan to start overhauling its leaking infrastructure months ago, despite those officials now asserting the leaks pose an urgent safety risk requiring the building to close.
·Honolulu, United States
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Total News Sources8
Leaning Left0Leaning Right0Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution100% Center
Bias Distribution
- 100% of the sources are Center
100% Center
C 100%
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