On Monday, the inspector general for the Government Services Administration, which oversees the federal government's real estate, released a report confirming that President Trump had met at least twice with GSA officials about replacing the FBI headquarters in downtown Washington, D.C. At the first meeting in January, participants agreed to pursue razing the FBI headquarters and rebuilding it in the same spot, not build a new campus in suburban Maryland or Virginia, the plan for a decade. The decision was announced a few days later.
In April, GSA Administrator Emily Murphy gave “incomplete” testimony to Congress that "may have left the misleading impression that she had no discussions with White House officials in the decision-making process about the project," though her answers were "literally true," the IG report found. It's not clear what role Trump played in the decision, as GSA employees were instructed by the White House counsel's office "not to disclose any statements made by the president" in the meetings to the inspector general, citing executive privilege — even though the inspector general's office "is part of GSA and within the Executive Branch," the report said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliamentTHE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
-
How to do the 75 Hard trend the soft wayThe Week Recommends The 75 Soft Challenge might be more your speed if you're trying to hit a soft reset
-
Rep. Sylvester Turner dies, weeks after joining HouseSpeed Read The former Houston mayor and longtime state legislator left behind a final message for Trump: 'Don't mess with Medicaid'
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of businessSpeed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pausesSpeed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocksSpeed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor dealSpeed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US SteelSpeed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons mergerSpeed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battleSpeed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rallySpeed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
