Newly revealed documents show just how badly states were left in the dark about the budget and planning for President Donald Trump's "Great American State Fair" — and how much they had to scramble for answers.
This comes after several states simply refused to send delegations to the fair at all, leaving empty booths.
According to NOTUS, behind the scenes, "even those that participated raised concerns about the exorbitant costs, unclear plans, insurance requirements and a lack of information throughout the process" in correspondence with Freedom 250, the partisan organization Trump created to divert funds and planning away from the nonpartisan America250 group.
An organizer in New Hampshire, for example, told Freedom 250, “We have almost no budget, so every penny counts!" while a Michigan official said, “We’re worried about the short time frame between now and June so would like formal approval as fast as possible if we’re going to try and do this well.”
There were also complaints of potential conflicts of interest in the organizing, particularly with respect to the event planning company that was supposed to procure the furniture.
State organizers received an email from Freeman, a Dallas-based firm previously run for 11 years by Trump ambassador to the Netherlands Joe Popolo, stating, “Please note that Freeman is the designated provider for material handling services, labor, and furnishings only.”
These state officials felt compelled to use the firm, which doesn't have a history of federal government procurement contracts, and were alarmed at their inflated price tag for services. New Hampshire officials pointed out they didn't have enough notice to follow their own state rules to get these contracts approved.
Asked for comment, a Freedom 250 spokesperson denied there was any requirement for what vendors states use, saying, “Freeman was our recommendation, yes, but states did not have to utilize their services for build out.” The spokesperson added that the group was not aware of Popolo's ties to the firm.
