Trump DOJ threatens senator with ‘significant consequences’ over White House ballroom
The Independent reports that U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz sent Sen. Richard Blumenthal a letter citing federal criminal statutes and ordering him to preserve records related to his investigation into the White House ballroom, warning of "significant legal consequences"; Blumenthal, incoming chair of a Senate investigations subcommittee, replies in his own letter that "I will not be intimidated" and says the administration is trying to intimidate Congress. Records show $333 million in private gifts for the up-to-$600 million ballroom — including $25 million each from Nvidia, Apple, the Adelson family, and Charles Ergen — with government lawyers calling it a national-security project, and Blumenthal says he will pursue probes into whether donors received government favors.
