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FIRST ON FOX — A member of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees called out Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., who continues to level “mismanagement” allegations while refusing to accept multiple invitations for in-person meetings.
“Given that Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Matt Floca’s several good-faith invitations for an in-person meeting to address your concerns have gone repeatedly ignored, it appears that written correspondence is your preferred method of communication,” Kennedy Center board member Brian Ballard wrote to Whitehouse on Wednesday in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital.
“The current leadership of the Kennedy Center has on several occasions provided our board with a transparent and thorough assessment of the scope of work needed to address the Center’s decades of deferred maintenance, including well-documented systemic deterioration and public safety hazards. It is my informed opinion that this work cannot be completed safely, or efficiently, around a fully operating public building. I do not believe a board acting responsibly could currently conclude that such an approach is the more prudent course,” Ballard told the senator.
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A board member of the Kennedy Center called out Democratic Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse for ignoring invitations for an in-person meeting as he levels “mismanagement” allegations. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Ballard insisted to Whitehouse that the Kennedy Center’s Audit and Finance Committee regularly meets “contrary to your assertion.” He also disputed Whitehouse’s claim that the “suspension of guided tours that put the consequences of recent mismanagement on full display,” telling him that tours were only halted for five days “in part due to administrative management conducting a review of campus-wide tour routes to ensure they provide the best possible experience for visitors and was scheduled to overlap with maintenance work of the sprinkler system across the complex.”
“None of this is to wave away the Board’s obligations following the Court’s decision as I share your view that we owe trustees, Congress, and the public a rigorous, well-documented record of the decisions ahead of us, and I am confident that management will continue to meet that standard,” Ballard continued. “To echo Matt’s repeated invitations, I would welcome the chance to walk through all of this with you directly, in person, rather than by written correspondence – letters which seemingly end up in the hands of the press before they reach the intended recipient to begin with.”
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Ballard concluded the letter by expressing hope Whitehouse attends the next board meeting, adding, “Despite your rank as ex-officio and supposed concerns, I do believe we share the priority goal of success for our National Cultural Center.”
“Political theater has no place at America’s cultural center,” Kennedy Center Vice President of Public Relations Roma Daravi said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Our Chairman President Trump’s commitment to revitalization is supported by Center leadership and the Board who are laser-focused on the responsible stewardship of this beloved institution.”
Sen. Whitehouse’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center accused Sen. Whitehouse of “political theater” amid his feud with the Trump-run landmark. (J. David Ake/Getty Images)
A source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that Whitehouse did not attend a board meeting held in March nor attend a scheduled April tour that highlighted the Kennedy Center’s maintenance needs. He also avoided multiple invitations by Kennedy Center COO Matt Floca for an in-person discussion.
Whitehouse, who sits on the Environment and Public Works Committee, penned a scathing letter on Monday to Floca, slamming what he called the Kennedy Center’s “sorry pattern.”
“As you also know, there is widespread suspicion that the decision to ‘close for repairs’ was a pretext to cover up the gross mismanagement that has crashed bookings, attendance, and revenues,” Whitehouse wrote. “There was also an obvious fiduciary question about what the renaming effort would mean for the Center’s business. It was never even considered in the rush to rename.”
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The senator later threatened, “If the intention is to drive the Center into financial failure by prevarication and delay in responding to the Court’s order, that would be the very definition of fiduciary failure, and such conduct should be reviewed by counsel, both as to the individual liability Board members may face for negligence and as to the state of the Board’s errors and omissions coverage. We should also hear from counsel about the possible avenues for Court supervision or receivership if no credible revival plan is presented and adopted.”
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., leaves the Senate Democrats’ lunch in the Capitol on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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A federal judge in May blocked the Trump administration’s plans to shutter the Kennedy Center for a two-year renovation project.
The judge also blocked the renaming of the Kennedy Center to the Trump Kennedy Center, insisting only Congress can change its name.