Overview
- Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility filed a federal suit to force the Interior Department to release Freedom of Information Act records on Freedom 250, a White House-linked, privately managed anniversary effort separate from Congress’s America 250 commission.
- PEER says Interior missed the legal deadline to respond to its requests and indicated no records would be produced until after the core semiquincentennial events, raising concerns about transparency during the celebration.
- The lawsuit centers on PEER’s allegation that $100 million meant for America 250 was shifted to Freedom 250 without congressional approval, which would bypass normal budget oversight.
- PEER also cites reported fundraising practices, including offers to sell access to President Trump for up to $2.5 million and efforts to solicit foreign money, with a leaked video showing Freedom 250 CEO Keith Krach promoting the project at Davos.
- The group alleges Interior pressured staff to add Freedom 250 branding to official email signatures, which it says could violate the Hatch Act and workers’ First Amendment rights, while America250 commissioner Kellyanne Conway described the two efforts as working in “great collaboration.”