Two weeks ago, after Donald Trump’s handpicked allies claimed they had renamed The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts to include the incumbent president’s name, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed a curious boast: She insisted that the center’s board, stacked with Trump loyalists, had “voted unanimously” to make the change.
It wasn’t long before the claim was called into question. By law, a handful of congressional lawmakers from both parties sit on the Kennedy Center’s board, including Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, who serves as an ex officio member, and who tried to participate in the meeting and voice her opposition.
When she tried to object to the process, the congresswoman found that she had been placed on mute. Beatty filed a federal lawsuit last week.
With this in mind, was Leavitt simply lying in her statement? As it turns out, it depends on what one means by “unanimous.” The Washington Post reported:
The Kennedy Center adopted bylaws earlier this year that limited voting to presidentially appointed trustees, a move that preceded a unanimous decision this month by board members installed by President Donald Trump to add his name to the center.
The current bylaws, obtained by The Washington Post, were revised in May to specify that board members designated by Congress — known as ex officio members — could not vote or count toward a quorum. Legal experts say the move may conflict with the institution’s charter.
In other words, after the president seized control over the cultural institution early last year, he chose loyalists to serve on its traditionally bipartisan board. Those board members then decided that their colleagues — the ones who weren’t appointed by Trump — would be powerless when it came time for the board to make decisions.
With this in mind, Beatty wasn’t allowed to vote, despite her role, because as the president’s appointees were concerned, the Ohioan literally didn’t count. As the congresswoman’s civil suit proceeds, other lawmakers have taken an interest in the burgeoning controversy, including Democratic Rep. April McClain Delaney of Maryland, who introduced legislation last week to remove Trump’s name. As for the center’s entertainment lineup, artists continue to cancel their plans to perform at the Kennedy Center as a result of Trump’s gambit. Watch this space. This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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