President Trump’s choice to run the Kennedy Center has said he has found $26 million in fraudulent revenue.
Addressing several board members during a dinner in the White House’s State Dining Room, Grenell stated that a review of the center’s budgets from the past two years had uncovered what he described as “$26 million in phantom revenue—fake revenue.”
“It’s criminal,” Grenell said. “We’re going to refer this to the U.S. attorney’s office here.”
The board’s former chairman, David M. Rubenstein, has denied any wrongdoing.
“With full transparency, the financial reports were reviewed and approved by the Kennedy Center’s audit committee and full board as well as a major accounting firm,” his spokesperson told The New York Times.
Trump, meanwhile, took aim at the center for promoting political propaganda under its previous leaderhsip.
“Instead of putting forward programming that tears our country down and tears our country apart, the Kennedy Center should be the nation’s premier venue for lifting up the best of our country and lifting up the American arts, theater, music and culture,” Trump said.
Hellbound and Down 