Trump’s 2020 July Fourth fireworks show caused over $42K in damage: CREW

Former President Trump’s Fourth of July fireworks last summer caused more than $42,000 in damages on the National Mall, according to documents obtained by a watchdog group.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) released the documents on Wednesday, including a letter that the Department of Interior sent to the Republican National Committee (RNC) in February listing the damage.

Remember when the RNC had a massive pro-Trump fireworks show on the National Mall during the campaign last summer?

Turns out that whole thing cause $42k worth of damage to the Washington Monument grounds…https://t.co/Ve3obOWobL

— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) June 3, 2021

In the letter, Interior officials told the RNC that the fireworks show held at the National Mall “injured” park resources.

“Those injuries included turf damage from a forklift operator who drove at a high rate of speed across the turf near the sidewalks, turf damage from fireworks setup and activation such as tire rutting and spinouts, scorch marks from the fireworks and extensive compaction damage from improper setup and security/setup/takedown vehicles driving throughout the turf,” the letter reads. “In addition, when a dumpster was being positioned, it struck a Park drinking fountain causing damage.”

The organization found a March receipt indicating that the RNC paid the Interior Department back in full for the damages.

CREW also found that National Park Service employees worked for more than 4,000 hours to set up the fireworks event, resulting in $177,000 in labor costs. 

Trump held the large public celebration in Washington last summer despite concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. It included music, a military flyover and an address from the president.

CREW obtained the documents as a part of an ongoing lawsuit against the Interior Department “to reveal the full cost to taxpayers of Trump’s rampant use of Interior resources for self-aggrandizement,” according to the organization’s statement.