A legal battle over President Donald Trump’s plans for the Kennedy Center has taken a new turn. Now a Democratic lawmaker is demanding access to nearly 200 withheld text messages. The records could help clarify how closely Trump and his administration worked with the performing arts institution’s leadership.
Kennedy Center lawsuit seeks Trump administration communications
Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who serves as an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board, wants a federal judge to order the administration to release emails, documents, and texts it has withheld under claims of presidential privilege (via PBS).
In a Sunday court filing, Beatty’s lawyers argued that the records matter directly to the case and challenged the administration’s justification for keeping them secret. They warned that without access to the material, Beatty could not fully understand the defendants’ actions. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper had not ruled on the request. As per the lawyers, “These communications directly bear on the issues before the Court, and the claim of privilege cannot stand.“
A paper trail at the center of the dispute includes 11 messages exchanged on Sept. 15 between Kennedy Center CEO Matt Floca and Natalie Harp, one of Donald Trump’s executive assistants. It is the same date when the center’s board voted for the third time to shut down the venue.
Rep. Beatty’s legal team has also flagged roughly 180 messages between Floca and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Her attorneys suspect Lutnick served as Trump’s “go-between” and accuse the administration of potentially using questionable methods to keep these conversations under wraps.
The fight over records comes amid a wider legal clash over Trump’s role in the institution. Cooper ruled in May that the Kennedy Center had unlawfully added Trump’s name to the building and ordered its removal.
Trump, whom board loyalists named chairman last year, has argued that the structure is dangerously deteriorated and must be torn down. After Cooper stopped the center from restoring Trump’s name, the board voted to close it. The shutdown took effect under Floca’s orders on Sept. 16, putting the Kennedy Center’s main building on pause. A day later, Cooper ruled that the institution must provide a 30-day heads-up before making any significant alterations.
