Rep. Beatty Files Brief with Evidence Trump Concealed Key Facts from Kennedy Center Trustees
October 31, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a filing today, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (D-OH-03) urged a federal court to deny Defendants’ renewed request to shutter the Kennedy Center for two years. Beatty’s filing presents damning new evidence indicating that Defendants concealed critical information suggesting closure isn’t warranted—and are shuttering the Kennedy Center to hide their ongoing mismanagement of this treasured institution.
In May, the court halted Trump’s plans to close the Center for two years for renovations. The court found that Trump falsely claimed to have conducted a one-year review in support of closure and concluded that Trump’s handpicked trustees acted in a “grossly” imprudent manner by rubber-stamping his decision. In August and September, the trustees voted again to close the Kennedy Center.
According to today’s filing, in their latest meetings, trustees again received no expert advice on arts management. Perhaps even worse, the trustees never saw analysis from the Center’s own construction manager that undermined the case for closing. Instead, according to the filing, Trump and his managers appear to have hidden that information from the trustees. The filing asks the court to keep its injunction in place, hear live testimony on discrepancies between the Defendants’ sworn testimony and the documentary record, and—regardless of how it rules—prevent Trump from following through on his threats to demolish the Kennedy Center. Finally, the brief argues that, if the court finds the Kennedy Center to be insolvent, the court should consider appointing an independent monitor or receiver to protect the Kennedy Center.
Among the evidence detailed in today’s filing:
- The Board was repeatedly told that performing renovations while remaining open would double the construction’s cost to more than $300 million. Trump’s own construction manager said otherwise. Trump’s management withheld the construction manager’s analysis from trustees.
- Despite providing sworn testimony that management did not influence the nominally independent consultant’s presentation to the Board, text messages show Kennedy Center President Matt Floca and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick helped craft the presentation.
- Text messages also show that the Board’s Vice Chair told Howard Lutnick that “we need to get shut” because “we are burning money.” According to the brief, these messages indicate that Defendants are closing the Kennedy Center because they drove the once vibrant arts institution into the ground and are seeking to hide their mismanagement.
- According to the brief, the evidence suggests that Trump or someone close to him has ordered millions in donor funds be withdrawn from the Kennedy Center if his name does not appear on the building.
“The court told this Board to do its job. As a trustee, I have a duty to be accountable. Yet Trump and his handpicked management failed to follow the law, hid facts that didn’t fit their narrative, and rubberstamped Trump’s wishes,” said Rep. Beatty. “I have a duty to protect this living memorial to President Kennedy on behalf of the American people. I will keep fighting to do my job, make sure the law is followed, and ensure that Trump cannot tear down the Kennedy Center to satisfy his ego.”
“In May, the Court explained that Trump lied about the one-year review and decided to close the Kennedy Center without considering the harm it would cause the institution. Instead of changing his behavior, Trump doubled down on his plan to close the Center. The evidence now shows that Trump and his handpicked loyalists possessed specific analysis that undercut their case for closure. But they hid that damning information from the full Board. Meanwhile, internal text messages confirm that Defendants are closing the Kennedy Center to hide their mismanagement,” said Rep. Beatty’s counsel, Amb. Norm Eisen (ret.) of Democracy Defenders Action and Nathaniel Zelinsky of Washington Litigation Group. “Until Trump took over, the Kennedy Center was a vibrant institution. This sacred memorial deserves better.”
On Tuesday, November 3, the court will separately hold a hearing regarding Beatty’s motion seeking the documents that the government has inappropriately withheld on the basis of executive privilege. In a recent filing, Beatty revealed that the government withheld hundreds of communications between the Center’s management and both Howard Lutnick and Natalie Harp, which are directly relevant to the claims before the court and the question of whether Trump plans to demolish the Kennedy Center.
Rep. Beatty, an ex officio trustee of the Kennedy Center, is represented by Nathaniel Zelinsky, Kyle Freeny, Alex Kristofcak, and Rosa Baum of Washington Litigation Group, and Norm Eisen, Steve Jonas, and David W. Ogden of Democracy Defenders Action.
Read the full brief here.
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Democracy Defenders Action brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state, and local allies across the country to defend in real time the foundations of our democracy.
Washington Litigation Group is a nonpartisan team of attorneys dedicated to defending individuals and institutions that have been unlawfully targeted for exercising their legal rights and to fighting against governmental overreach.
For media inquiries, contact, press@democracydefenders.org.
