Public Trust Tracker

INV-059 · Money & ethics · Selling access

Kennedy Center under Grenell: discounts for allies and a missing donation (allegation)

Stage 2 of 5: Inquiry · Letters and records requests · Last development 19 Oct 2026

Richard Grenell, Trump's pick as Kennedy Center president until March 2026 and a special presidential envoy, faces two separate sets of allegations, which he denies. In November 2025 the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee said documents showed rental discounts for political allies, free use of the campus for FIFA's World Cup draw, luxury spending and contracts for Grenell's associates. In October 2026 a White House counsel inquiry, reportedly ordered by Trump, began looking at whether a businessman's intended multimillion-dollar Kennedy Center donation went missing after a text, attributed to Grenell, offered VIP access "even with POTUS". Related case: INV-027 (Habba's $50M contract).

No finding has been made. The accuser's figures changed, and the White House inquiry is described only by anonymous officials. The Senate letter comes from the committee's minority side. Grenell denies the allegations.

Richard Grenell
People
Richard Grenell, Turhan Mildon, Alina Habba
Agencies
Kennedy Center, White House
Reviewed by
Senate EPW Democrats, White House Counsel (reported inquiry)

Money involved

  • $17.6 million Transfer to Texas Armament & Technology that Mildon alleges Grenell directed (alleged) (Other amounts, not totaled) [1]
  • $5.6 million Intended Kennedy Center donation that Mildon says never arrived (alleged; figure first given as about $17M) (Other amounts, not totaled, estimate) [1]
  • $5.04 million Internal estimate of what free FIFA use of the campus would cost the Center (Senate minority documents; a cost estimate) (Other amounts, not totaled, estimate) [3]
  • $19,820 Rental discount for a NewsNation town hall (Senate minority documents) (Other amounts, not totaled) [3]
  • $21,983 Rental discount for the American Conservative Union Foundation (Senate minority documents) (Other amounts, not totaled) [3]

Timeline

  1. The New York Times (15 Oct) and Axios (19 Oct) report the allegations. Kennedy Center insiders told the White House that Mildon attended exclusive events, including in the vice president's box; a White House official says: "We're trying to find out whose money this is." Another administration official: "Mildon did get access. So why did he get access?" [2]

  2. Alina Habba, Mildon's wife and former acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey (see INV-027), brings her allegations to Trump; White House Counsel Will Scharf is investigating at Trump's direction, according to Axios. Mildon's lawyers give the White House the text and financial records. [1]

  3. Trump announces that Grenell is stepping down as Kennedy Center president, to be replaced by facilities manager Matt Floca. [5]

  4. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, writes to Grenell and posts documents: a $19,820 discount for a NewsNation town hall, a $21,982.60 discount for the American Conservative Union Foundation, free and exclusive use of the campus for FIFA's World Cup draw that internal estimates say will cost the Center $5,038,444, luxury spending and contracts for Grenell's associates. He says they show a "profound disregard" for leadership's "fiduciary responsibility". [3]

  5. (Allegation) A financial record shows a $17.6 million transfer to Texas Armament & Technology in Houston, which Mildon alleges Grenell directed; Mildon says about $5.6 million was meant for the Kennedy Center (the figure was first described as about $17 million, later about $6 million). The records reportedly identify Congo's Finance Ministry as the source of the money. [1]

  6. (Allegation) A text attributed to Grenell, sent to Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon, says: "Once the money comes to the company here, I will arrange the donation to Kennedy Centre [sic], and you'll be joining the VIP events and get close with the administration, even with POTUS." Axios reviewed the text. Grenell denies sending it. [1]

Responses

  • Richard Grenell (on the donation): "I've never asked for one cent to be sent somewhere else pretending it was for the Kennedy Center," and says he never received any payment from Mildon. [1]
  • Richard Grenell (on the Senate letter, Nov 2025): Called it "filled with partisan attacks and false accusations"; said FIFA "has given us several million dollars, in addition to paying all of the expenses for this event in lieu of a rental fee." [4]
  • Unnamed administration official (to Axios, on Habba): "[She] didn't have all her stuff in order. She went in there half-cocked without all the facts yelling about Grenell stealing. And the facts keep changing…That doesn't mean Ric is out of the woods. This looks really shady." [7]

Who is acting on it

  • Letter Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI): Wrote to Grenell and posted documents on rental discounts for allies, free campus use for FIFA's draw, luxury spending and contracts for his associates (20 Nov 2025, No reply or result recorded yet)
  • Investigation White House Counsel's Office (reported inquiry): Inquiry into whether an intended Kennedy Center donation went missing, reportedly ordered by Trump; described only by anonymous officials (9 Oct 2026, Under way)

Sources

  1. The Advocate (citing Axios), Oct 2026
  2. Axios, 19 Oct 2026
  3. Senate EPW Committee (minority), Sen. Whitehouse, 20 Nov 2025
  4. NPR, 21 Nov 2025
  5. PBS NewsHour (AP), 13 Mar 2026
  6. The New York Times, 15 Oct 2026
  7. The Independent via Yahoo, citing Axios, 19-20 Oct 2026

Cite this case

Public Trust Tracker. "Kennedy Center under Grenell: discounts for allies and a missing donation (allegation)" (INV-059). Last updated 19 Oct 2026. https://publictrusttracker.org/case/inv-059-kennedy-center-under-grenell-discounts-for-allies-and-a/

Suggest a fact check