Ii-imeyile ezifunyenwe kutshanje zibonisa ukuba abanye abanikeli ngabanye babezimisele ukuxhasa ngezimali imifanekiso esemthethweni kaTrump kunye nowayesakuba yiNkosikazi yokuQala uMelania Trump kwiSmithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, kodwa ekugqibeleni iSmithsonian yavuma ukwamkela umnikelo kaTrump we-$650,000 kwiPAC Save America.
Lo mnikelo uphawula okokuqala kwinkumbulo yakutshanje apho umbutho wezopolitiko uxhase imifanekiso yemyuziyam yoongameli bangaphambili, njengoko idla ngokuhlawulwa ngabanikeli ngabanye abaqeshwe yiSmithsonian. Esi sipho singaqhelekanga, esabikwa okokuqala yiBusiness Insider ngo-Agasti, sikwabangele ukugxekwa koluntu malunga nemyuziyam kwaye sabangela ukuthandabuza ukuba ngubani umnikeli wesibini onikele ngesipho esongezelelweyo se-$100,000 ukuxhasa imifanekiso ecwangciswe yiCitizens for Responsible and Ethical Washington. sihlolwe ngoMvulo yiThe Washington Post.
Isithethi seSmithsonian Institution uLinda St. Thomas uphinde wathi ngoMvulo ukuba umnikeli wesibini “ngummi onqwenela ukuhlala engaziwa.” Ukwaphawule ukuba omnye wemifanekiso sele ulungile, kwaye omnye “uyasebenza.”
Nangona kunjalo, imithetho yemyuziyam ithi ukuba owayesakuba ngumongameli uphinda angene kwisikhundla sokuba ngumongameli, umfanekiso wakhe awunakukhutshelwa. Ngenxa yoko, imyuziyam ayinakutyhila amagama abaculi ababini abamenyiweyo kude kube lunyulo lukamongameli luka-2024, uSt. Thomas uxelele iPost. Ukuba uTrump uphumelele kolu nyulo, imifanekiso iya kuboniswa kuphela emva kwexesha lakhe lesibini, ngokwemithetho yemyuziyam.
“Asilikhuphi igama lomculi ngaphambi kokuba kuqalwe, nangona kwimeko enjalo linokutshintsha kuba ixesha elininzi lidlulile,” utshilo uSt. Thomas. Umfanekiso kaTrump ka-2019 othathwe nguPari Dukovic kwiphephancwadi iTime uboniswa okwethutyana kumboniso weNational Portrait Gallery “American Presidents” ngaphambi kokuba umfanekiso osemthethweni utyhilwe. Ngokutsho kweSmithsonian Institution, umfanekiso uza kususwa kungekudala ngenxa yezizathu zolondolozo.
Ii-imeyile zibonisa ukuba iingxoxo phakathi kwamagosa emyuziyam kunye noTrump malunga nalo mfanekiso kunye nenkxaso-mali yawo ziqhubeke kangangeenyanga, ziqala ekuqaleni kuka-2021, kungekudala emva kokuba uTrump eshiye isikhundla.
Le nkqubo ichazwe kumyalezo ovela kuKim Saget, umlawuli weNational Portrait Gallery, oya kuMolly Michael, umncedisi ophetheyo kaTrump eposini. USadget uqaphele ukuba ekugqibeleni uTrump uza kuvuma okanye angavumi lo mfanekiso ngaphambi kokuba uboniswe. (Isithethi seSmithsonian sixelele iThe Post ukuba abasebenzi bemyuziyam kamva babize iqela likaTrump ukuze bacacise ukuba akayi kufumana imvume yokugqibela.)
“Ewe kona, ukuba uMnu. Trump uneengcinga zabanye abaculi, singazamkela ezo ngcebiso,” uSadget ubhalele uMichael kwi-imeyile yomhla we-18 kweyoKwindla 2021. “Injongo yethu yayikukufumana umzobi, ngokoluvo lwemyuziyam kunye nomhlali, oza kudala umfanekiso olungileyo wegalari yooMongameli base-United States ngokusisigxina.”
Emva kweenyanga ezimbini, uSadget waphawula nokuba iNational Portrait Gallery yayiqokelela imali yabucala yazo zonke iifoto zikamongameli waza wacela uncedo lokufumana “abahlobo nabalandeli bosapho lukaTrump abanokuxhasa ezi khomishini.”
Ngomhla wama-28 kuCanzibe ngo-2021, uSaget wabhalela uMichael esithi, “Ukuze sigcine umgama ohloniphekileyo phakathi kobomi babo babucala kunye nelifa labo likawonke-wonke, sikhetha ukungasondeli kumalungu osapho lukaTrump okanye sinikele nakweyiphi na ishishini likaTrump.”
Emva kweveki, uMichael uxelele uSadget ukuba iqela likaTrump “lifumene abanikeli abaninzi, njengabantu ngabanye, mhlawumbi abanokunikela ngokupheleleyo.”
“Ndiza kuthumela amagama nolwazi loqhagamshelwano kwiintsuku ezimbalwa ezizayo ukuze silungelelanise izinto zethu size sigqibe ukuba ngumongameli oza kukhetha ntoni,” wabhala uMichael.
Emva kweveki, uMichael wathumela olunye uluhlu, kodwa amagama acinywa kwii-imeyile zikawonke-wonke ezibonwe yiThe Post. UMichael wabhala wathi "uza kuba nezinye ezilishumi elinesibini ukuba kuyimfuneko".
Akucaci ukuba kwenzeke ntoni emva koko malunga nokuqokelela imali kwaye kwakhokelela kwisigqibo sokwamkela imali kwiTrump PAC. Ii-imeyile zibonisa ukuba ezinye zeengxoxo zenzeka ngefowuni okanye ngexesha leentlanganiso ze-intanethi.
NgoSeptemba ka-2021, batshintshiselana ngee-imeyile malunga "neseshoni yokuqala" yomfanekiso. Emva koko, nge-17 kaFebruwari 2022, uSaget wathumela enye i-imeyile kuMichael echaza umgaqo-nkqubo wemyuziyam malunga nokuqokelelwa kwezinto.
“Akukho mntu uphilayo uvumelekileyo ukuhlawulela umfanekiso wakhe,” wabhala uSajet, ecaphula umgaqo-nkqubo. “I-NPG ingaqhagamshelana nosapho lomlindi, abahlobo kunye nabantu abamaziyo ukuze bahlawule iindleko zokufaka umfanekiso, ukuba i-NPG iyakhokela kwiingxoxo kwaye iqela elimenyiweyo alichaphazeli ukhetho okanye ixabiso lomculi.”
Ngomhla wesi-8 kweyoKwindla ngo-2022, uSaget wabuza uMichael ukuba angabelana ngefowuni ngolwazi olutsha oluvela kwabo babonakalise umdla wokuxhasa umsebenzi wemyuziyam.
“Siqala ukufumana iindleko ekufuneka zigutyungelwe kwaye sijonge ukusondela ekuqokeleleni imali ngale projekthi,” wabhala watsho uSajet.
Emva kokudibanisa umnxeba ngee-imeyile ezininzi, uMichael wabhalela uSaget nge-25 kaMatshi 2022, esithi “oyena mntu ungcono onokuqhagamshelana naye ukuze siqhubeke neengxoxo zethu” yayinguSusie Wiles, umcebisi wezopolitiko weRiphabliki owathi kamva wabizwa ngokuba ngumcebisi omkhulu kaTrump ngo-2024. – iphulo lonyulo.
Kwileta yomhla we-11 kuMeyi 2022, ebhalwe kwiSmithsonian letterhead, amagosa emyuziyam abhalele umgcini-mali weSave America PCC uBradley Clutter, evuma “isifungo sakutshanje sentlangano yezopolitiko se-$650,000” sokuxhasa iTrump Portrait Commission.
“Ngenxa yokuqonda olu ncedo lukhulu, iSmithsonian Institution iza kubonisa amagama athi ‘Save America’ kwiilebhile zezinto eziboniswe nomfanekiso ngexesha lomboniso kwaye ecaleni komfanekiso womfanekiso kwiwebhusayithi ye-NPG,” yabhala imyuziyam.
Bongeze ngelithi i-PAC Save America iza kumema neendwendwe ezili-10 kwintetho, kulandele umfanekiso wabucala weendwendwe ezifikelela kwezihlanu.
Ngomhla wama-20 kuJulayi ngo-2022, uWiles wathumela ikopi yesivumelwano esisayiniweyo nge-imeyile ku-Usha Subramanian, umlawuli wophuhliso kwiNational Portrait Gallery.
Ikhomishini ye-$750,000 yeefoto ezimbini zikaTrump iza kuhlawulwa ngumnikelo weSave America PAC kunye nesipho sesibini se-$100,000 sabucala esivela kumxhasi wabucala ongachazwanga, itsho imyuziyam kunyaka ophelileyo.
Nangona kungaqhelekanga, iminikelo isemthethweni kuba iSave America yiPAC elawulayo, inemiqathango embalwa ekusetyenzisweni kwemali yayo. Ezi PAC, ukongeza ekukhuthazeni abaviwa abacinga ngendlela efanayo, zinokusetyenziselwa ukuhlawula abacebisi, ukugubungela iindleko zokuhamba kunye nezomthetho, phakathi kwezinye iindleko. Uninzi lwemali yeTrump GAC ivela kubanikeli abancinci abaphendula kwii-imeyile kunye neminye imibuzo.
Abameli bakaTrump abavumanga ukuphawula. NgoLwesibini, isithethi seSmithsonian Institution uConcetta Duncan uxelele iThe Post ukuba imyuziyam iyahlula ikomiti yezopolitiko kaTrump kusapho lwakhe nakwishishini lakhe.
“Ngenxa yokuba i-PAC imele iqela labaxhasi, iPortrait Gallery iyavuya ukwamkela le mali kuba ayichaphazeli ukukhethwa kwabaculi okanye ixabiso lesakhiwo esidibeneyo,” wabhala kwi-imeyile.
Imyuziyam ijongene nomsindo emva kokuba umnikelo waziswa eluntwini kunyaka ophelileyo. Kwi-imeyile ka-Agasti ophelileyo, ingcali yeendaba zoluntu yeSmithsonian iqokelele ii-tweets ezivela kubasebenzisi abacaphukileyo sesi saziso somnikelo.
“Ewe abantu ababonakali beqonda ukuba sineemifanekiso zabo bonke oomongameli,” wabhala ingcali yeendaba zoluntu uErin Blascoe. “Babecaphukile kuba sifumene umfanekiso kaTrump, kodwa bekukho nabantu abaninzi abacaphukileyo kukuba uthathwa 'njengomnikelo', ingakumbi emva kokugxeka iindlela zabo zokuqokelela imali.”
Kukwakho nekopi yeleta ebhalwe ngesandla evela kumxhasi odanileyo owathi ulingana nomongameli wangaphambili waza wacela imyuziyam ukuba ingabonisi umfanekiso kaTrump.
“Nceda, ubuncinane de kugqitywe uphando lwe-DOJ kunye ne-FBI,” wabhala umxhasi. “Usebenzise iWhite House yethu exabisekileyo ukwenza ulwaphulo-mthetho.”
Ngelo xesha, uSt. Thomas waxelela oogxa bakhe kwimyuziyam ukuba wayecinga ukuba abachasi “babeyingcamle nje yentaba yomkhenkce”.
“Funda eli nqaku,” wabhala kwi-imeyile. “Babhala ezinye izinto ezibonelelwa yiPAC. Silapho.”
Nangona iNational Portrait Gallery yasekwa yiCongress ngo-1962, ayizange imise oomongameli abaphumayo de kwaba ngu-1994, xa uRonald Sherr wazoba umfanekiso kaGeorge W. Bush.
Kwixesha elidlulileyo, imifanekiso ixhaswa yiminikelo yabucala, ngokufuthi evela kubaxhasi borhulumente ophumayo. Abanikeli abangaphezu kwama-200, kuquka uSteven Spielberg, uJohn Legend kunye noChrissy Teigen, banegalelo kwikhomishini ye-$750,000 yemifanekiso ka-Obama kaKehinde Wiley kunye no-Amy Sherald. Uluhlu lwabanikeli bemifanekiso ka-Obama noBush alubandakanyi i-PKK.