Waste, Fraud, & Abuse: Burgum’s Freedom 250 Failures
Republican-Controlled Congress Silent After Damning New Report Detailing Corruption Released
HELENA, MT – A 55-page report from Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee documents how Doug Burgum’s Interior Department helped the White House hijack America’s 250th birthday and turn it into “a hotbed of corruption and self-enrichment.” The damning report details how Freedom 250 was stood up as a shadow organization after the official, nonpartisan America250 commission refused to bend to Interior Secretary Burgum’s and the Trump administration’s demands, and how donors who believed they were giving to America250 were instead handed Freedom 250’s banking information, a bait-and-switch that may amount to wire fraud. Sponsors paying up to $10 million were promised a photo op with Trump, while America250 received only a quarter of the money Congress intended for it.
According to analysis by the Revolving Door Project and Public Citizen, over $132 million in federal contracts have been awarded for America’s 250th anniversary with over $102 million awarded through the politicized Freedom 250 scheme as of the end of June.
“Doug Burgum is directly responsible for turning our nation’s 250th birthday into a slush fund for Donald Trump. He sits on and controls the National Parks Foundation board, which, instead of supporting our parks, was used and abused as part of this corrupt and politicized scheme,” said Jayson O’Neill, spokesperson for Save Our Parks. “Real oversight would mean full accounting, naming names, releasing the donor lists, and explaining why tax dollars and public funds ran through the politicized pay-for-play Freedom 250 scheme Burgum set up. Instead, Burgum is stonewalling calls for transparency and Congressional Republicans are looking the other way as corruption, waste, and abuse happen in broad daylight.”
The Vanity to Insanity: How the White House Cheated The American People Out of Their 250th Birthday report found:
Congress created a bipartisan, independent U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission and the America250 Foundation, insulated from partisan or sectarian influence, to lead 250th‑anniversary celebrations.
The National Park Foundation (NPF) board was stacked with Trump loyalists, including key campaign finance and data operatives, undermining NPF’s independence to pave the way for establishing Freedom 250 within the foundation to use NPF’s nonprofit tax status and donor infrastructure.
Burgum and the Trump administration then created Freedom 250 LLC inside NPF, giving it a leading role in semiquincentennial events while operating outside America250’s statutory transparency and accountability framework.
Freedom 250 and its network courted companies with significant business before the federal government, using captured charities—NPF, National Forest Foundation, Trust for the National Mall—as fundraising vehicles.
Donors who believed they were giving to America250 were reportedly steered, via wire instructions, into Freedom 250 accounts, which may amount to wire or charitable solicitation fraud.
Corporate and high‑dollar sponsors were offered tiered packages (starting around $500,000 and going above $10 million) that included VIP access, speaking roles, and “historic photo opportunities” with Trump.
Freedom 250 steered federal no-bid contracts and funneled tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to preferred and connected contractors via IDIQ contracts and semiquincentennial‑related awards, like Event Strategies, Inc. (ESI), Trump’s preferred event firm who planned his January 6th rally.
Freedom 250 and related initiatives, including Rededicate 250, “Freedom Trucks,” and America Prays, injected Christian nationalist messaging into promotional and educational materials.
Freedom 250’s CEO and U.S. ambassadors reportedly solicited foreign participation and support at Davos and abroad, raising concerns under the Foreign Emoluments Clause and FARA if funds or involvement benefit Trump’s projects.
Burgum sits on the National Park Foundation’s board as Freedom 250’s ex officio director, yet has claimed he doesn’t know who ordered the organization’s creation. Burgrum even shifted blame onto Trump, telling CNN it’s “run out of the White House.” Thus far, Congressional Republicans have refused to conduct any oversight.
Additional Resources:
Doug Burgum Is Letting National Parks Fail As America’s 250th Birthday Approaches
Doug Burgum Raids National Park Fees for Donald Trump’s Political Events and Vanity Projects
To speak with Save Our Parks spokesperson Jayson O’Neill, email jayson@focalpointstrategygroup.com.
###
