NEWS: Sen. Schiff Leads Senate Democrats in Demanding Answers from Trump Administration Over $22 Million in Federal Contracts Awarded to Firm That Organized Trump January 6 Rally

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Senate Democrats are demanding answers on the Trump administration’s awarding of federal contracts to Event Strategies, Inc. (ESI), the event management firm that organized the rally used to incite the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Since January 2025, ESI has received more than $22 million in taxpayer-funded contracts, including for events associated with the country’s 250 th anniversary. “Through this concerning pattern of behavior, the Trump Administration continues to send Americans a clear message: it is willing to reward loyalty with political and economic favoritism at taxpayers’ expense. The American people deserve an administration committed to transparency, responsible spending of taxpayer funds, and meritorious awarding of federal contracts, regardless of political association,” the Senators wrote. Since the January 2025 appointment of Justin Caporale, former CEO of ESI and “Project Manager” of the January 6, 2021, rally, to serve as the Executive Producer for Major Events and Public Appearances in the Executive Office of the President, ESI has received at least $22.77 million in federal contracts. ESI’s close relationships with senior White House officials have proved lucrative during the second Trump Administration. Administration officials have consistently allowed ESI to exploit contracting loopholes to guarantee valuable awards, including contracts awarded through the U.S. Navy, and for celebrations associated with the country’s 250 th anniversary. This letter is signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.). Background: Senator Schiff has been pressing for transparency and answers related to the obscure funding and planning by the Trump administration for events held for America’s 250 th anniversary. In February, Schiff led colleagues in launching a probe demanding answers about Freedom 250, a private entity reportedly soliciting large private donations while offering donors exclusive access and other benefits tied to President Trump and events planned for the 250 th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. In March, Schiff pressed U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Doug Burgum for answers on the recent troubling allocation of at least $100 million in taxpayer funds to Freedom 250. The full text of the letter can be viewed here and below: Dear Ms. Wiles: We are writing regarding a concerning pattern of federal contracts involving Event Strategies, Inc. (ESI), an event management firm with close ties to President Trump which also organized the rally President Trump used to incite the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Based on federal awards data, ESI has received at least $7.13 million in low-competition federal contracts for services supporting the country’s 250 th anniversary, including in close coordination with Freedom 250, an opaque organization involved in soliciting high-value contributions tied to exclusive access to President Trump. We are therefore seeking detailed information regarding White House policies and practices in awarding federal contracts and any guardrails in place to prevent potential conflicts of interest. Since the January 2025 appointment of Justin Caporale, former CEO of ESI and “Project Manager” of the January 6, 2021, rally, to serve as the Executive Producer for Major Events and Public Appearances in the Executive Office of the President, ESI has received over $22.77 million in federal contracts. This raises obvious concerns that conflicts of interest and corruption within the White House are driving federal contract awards towards politically connected firms. Furthermore, President Trump’s recent proposal to withhold federal grant funding from entities promoting undefined “anti-American values” or failing to “demonstrably advance the President’s policy priorities” exacerbates these concerns. Prior to President Trump’s return to office on January 20, 2025, ESI was a relatively unknown federal contractor and had received just under $3 million in small federal obligations over 14 years from 2007 to 2021. Yet despite their inexperience in federal contracting, ESI cultivated a close relationship with President Trump’s campaign throughout the 2020 election, securing nearly $1.8 million in disbursements from Trump-affiliated political action committees. By the 2024 election cycle, that number ballooned to nearly $40 million. In a public statement announcing former ESI CEO Justin Caporale’s appointment to his Executive Office role, President Trump described Caporale as having “been with me right from the beginning of a very incredible journey.” ESI’s close relationships with senior White House officials have proved lucrative during the second Trump Administration. Administration officials have consistently allowed ESI to exploit contracting loopholes to guarantee valuable awards. For example, the Navy awarded ESI a $5 million contract related to the “Titans of the Sea” presidential review celebration. The contract invoked a provision in federal acquisition regulations allowing government agencies to subvert the traditional competitive bidding process in situations where services are only available from “one or a limited number of responsible sources.” The Navy again invoked the same exemption on behalf of ESI for a $1.1 million contract for a “backyard cookout and performance.” However, the notion that ESI is the only firm capable of a backyard cookout and performance strains credulity. The Trump Administration has continued to invoke contracting loopholes to award ESI favorable, low-competition contracts related to the celebrations associated with the country’s 250 th anniversary. The Navy used the same aforementioned loophole to award ESI an exclusive $2.1 million contract for “events” related to the 250 th celebrations.  In January, the Treasury Department invoked another “urgency” exemption related to event planning – the agency’s first time doing so to award a contract to a company registered as an event planner or conference organizer – to justify awarding ESI a contract worth over $700,000. Where the Administration has permitted other bidders on contracts awarded to ESI, competition has been sparse. ESI was often one of a handful – and often the only – bidder for many contracts they have acquired under the Trump Administration, reflecting a broader trend of insider dealing and preferential treatment of the firm and subverting the competitive bidding process designed to protect taxpayer dollars. Through this concerning pattern of behavior, the Trump Administration continues to send Americans a clear message: it is willing to reward loyalty with political and economic favoritism at taxpayers’ expense. The American people deserve an administration committed to transparency, responsible spending of taxpayer funds, and meritorious awarding of federal contracts, regardless of political association. In order to carry out the Senate’s oversight responsibilities and provide transparency to the American public, please provide answers to the following questions by June 26, 2026: Have any Executive Office of the President personnel recused themselves from the selection of federal contracts or any activities relevant to services ESI has been contracted to provide? If so, please produce a written copy of all recusal memorandum. Have any Executive Office of the President personnel been issued a written waiver under 18 U.S.C. § 208(b)(1) or (b)(3) to participate in the selection of federal contracts or any activities relevant to services ESI has been contracted to provide? If any written waivers were issued to any personnel, please produce a written copy of the waiver, the date you were made aware of any waivers, and clarify whether the waivers were issued pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 208(b)(1) or (b)(3). What is the internal process used by the Executive Office of the President to identify potential conflicts of interest and prevent staff from engaging in potentially conflicted activities under 18 U.S.C. § 208 or otherwise. If such internal process does not exist, why not? What steps has the Executive Office of the President taken to reduce the risk of any potential conflicts of interest interfering with selection of federal contracts and other activities of the Office? Provide a complete list of all contracts between executive branch agencies and ESI, including those related to Freedom 250. For each contract with ESI, provide the contracts a complete accounting of the award mechanisms by which these funds were provided to ESI, and any other supporting documentation. What role does the Executive Producer for Major Events and Public Appearances serve in negotiating or approving federal contracts? Provide a complete list of all federal contracts Justin Caporale was involved in considering, negotiating, or selecting. What legal justifications have Executive Office of the President personnel used to modify the competitive bidding process for any federal contracts involving ESI. Have White House officials directed employees of other executive agencies to invoke exemptions to the traditional competitive bidding process in contracts involving ESI? If so, please provide the legal justification for that direction and all relevant communications. In addition to the information requests above, please preserve all records and communications related to contracts between the federal government and ESI. This applies to internal communications, communications with ESI personnel, and communications with other members of the executive branch. This includes but is not limited to: records and communications via email, whether official or personal; mobile devices; encrypted or disappearing messaging applications; social media; calendar entries; meeting notes; and voicemail and text messages. To the extent that you use any auto-delete functions, you should immediately suspend auto-delete functions and notify persons with control over potentially relevant records of their preservation obligations. This preservation request covers both past and current efforts, as well as any planned or in-development measures responsive to the issues raised in this letter. We look forward to your prompt response to these important questions. ###