RNC's pro-Trump fireworks show caused over $40K in damage to Washington Monument grounds: ethics watchdog group

In an article published this Wednesday, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) accused the Republican National Convention of causing $42,150 in damage to the grounds of the Washington Monument with their massive fireworks show last summer.

While the RNC has paid for the damage, CREW says the show "commandeered government grounds in the heart of the nation's capital to be the background for a Trump campaign spectacle, and the setup and damages yet again caused public employees to act as de facto Trump campaign staffers."

"The multiple damages and costs incurred by the RNC highlight Trump's unabashed willingness to abuse federal land and resources for his own political gain, and the coziness between Trump's campaign and administration," CREW's article states. "In addition to helping coordinate the 2020 RNC, Trump's Interior department hosted other fireworks displays, released pro-Trump propaganda and promoted Trump's unofficial twitter on official Interior Department twitter accounts. In November 2020, the Office of Special Counsel opened an investigation into whether officials at the Interior Department illegally created and distributed propaganda to prop up President Trump and his re-election effort following a CREW complaint."

Read the full article over at CitizensForEthics.org.