Ama-imeyili asanda kutholwa asikisela ukuthi abanye abanikeli ngabanye babezimisele ukuxhasa ngezimali izithombe ezisemthethweni zikaTrump kanye nowayenguNkosikazi Wokuqala uMelania Trump zeSmithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, kodwa ekugcineni iSmithsonian yavuma ukwamukela umnikelo kaTrump ongu-$650,000 ku-PAC Save America.
Lo mnikelo uphawula okokuqala ngqa enkumbulweni yamuva nje lapho inhlangano yezepolitiki ixhase izithombe zemyuziyamu zabongameli bangaphambilini, njengoba zivame ukukhokhelwa ngabanikeli ngabanye abaqashwe yiSmithsonian. Lesi sipho esingavamile, esabikwa okokuqala yiBusiness Insider ngo-Agasti, saphinde sabangela ukugxekwa komphakathi ngemyuziyamu futhi sabangela ukungabaza ngokuthi ungubani umnikeli wesibili owanikela ngesipho esengeziwe esingu-$100,000 sokuxhasa izithombe ezihlelwe yiCitizens for Responsible and Ethical Washington. sibuyekezwe ngoMsombuluko yiThe Washington Post.
Okhulumela iSmithsonian Institution uLinda St. Thomas uphinde wagcizelela ngoMsombuluko ukuthi umnikeli wesibili “uyisakhamuzi esifisa ukuhlala singaziwa.” Uphinde waphawula ukuthi esinye sezithombe sesivele silungile, kanti esinye “sisemsebenzini.”
Kodwa-ke, imithetho yemyuziyamu ithi uma owayengumongameli ephinda egijima esikhundleni sokuba ngumongameli, isithombe sakhe asikwazi ukukhishwa. Ngenxa yalokho, imyuziyamu ingase ingadaluli amagama abaculi ababili abamenyiwe kuze kube ukhetho lukamongameli lwango-2024, kusho uSt. Thomas etshela i-Post. Uma uTrump ewina lolu khetho, izithombe zizoboniswa kuphela ngemva kwesikhathi sakhe sesibili, ngokusho kwemithetho yemyuziyamu.
“Asilikhiphi igama lomculi ngaphambi kokuvulwa, yize uma kunjalo lingashintsha ngoba isikhathi esiningi sesidlulile,” kusho uSt. Thomas. Isithombe sikaTrump sika-2019 esithathwe nguPari Dukovic kumagazini i-Time siboniswa okwesikhashana embukisweni we-“American Presidents” we-National Portrait Gallery ngaphambi kokuba isithombe esisemthethweni sembulwe. Ngokusho kwe-Smithsonian Institution, isithombe sizosuswa maduze ngenxa yezizathu zokulondolozwa kwemvelo.
Izingxoxo phakathi kwezikhulu zemyuziyamu noTrump mayelana nalesi sithombe kanye nokuxhaswa kwaso ngezimali kuqhubeke izinyanga eziningi, kusukela ekuqaleni kuka-2021, ngemuva nje kokushiya kukaTrump esikhundleni, kusho ama-imeyili.
Le nqubo ichazwe emyalezweni ovela kuKim Saget, umqondisi weNational Portrait Gallery, oya kuMolly Michael, umsizi omkhulu kaTrump eposini. USadget waphawula ukuthi uTrump ekugcineni uzowuvuma noma angawuvumi lo mdwebo ngaphambi kokuba ubekwe obala. (Okhulumela iSmithsonian utshele iThe Post ukuthi abasebenzi bemyuziyamu kamuva babize ithimba likaTrump ukuze bacacise ukuthi ngeke athole imvume yokugcina.)
“Yebo, uma uMnu. Trump enemibono yabanye abaculi, singazamukela lezo ziphakamiso,” kusho uSadget kuMichael ku-imeyili yomhla ziyi-18 kuNdasa 2021. “Umgomo wethu kwakuwukuthola umculi, ngokombono wemyuziyamu kanye nomnakekeli, owayezokwakha isithombe esihle segalari yoMongameli base-United States unomphela.”
Ngemva kwezinyanga ezimbili, uSadget waphawula nokuthi iNational Portrait Gallery yayiqoqa imali yangasese yazo zonke izithombe zikamongameli futhi yacela usizo lokuthola “abangane nabalandeli bomndeni kaTrump abangasekela la makhomishini.”
Ngomhlaka-28 Meyi 2021, uSaget wabhalela uMichael, “Ukuze sigcine ibanga elihloniphekile phakathi kwezimpilo zabo zangasese kanye nefa labo lomphakathi, sikhetha ukungasondeli kumalungu omndeni kaTrump noma ukufaka isandla kunoma yiliphi ibhizinisi likaTrump.”
Ngemva kwesonto, uMichael watshela uSadget ukuthi ithimba likaTrump “lithole abanikeli abaningana, njengabantu ngabanye, cishe abazonikela ngokugcwele.”
"Ngizothumela amagama nolwazi lokuxhumana ezinsukwini ezimbalwa ezizayo ukuze sihlele kahle izinto zethu futhi sinqume ukuthi umongameli ukhetha ini," kubhala uMichael.
Ngemva kwesonto, uMichael wathumela olunye uhlu, kodwa amagama asuswa kuma-imeyili omphakathi abonwe yiThe Post. UMichael wabhala ukuthi “uzoba namanye ayishumi nambili uma kudingeka”.
Akucaci ukuthi kwenzekani mayelana nokuqoqa imali ngemva kwalokho futhi kwaholela esinqumweni sokwamukela imali evela ku-Trump PAC. Ama-imeyili abonisa ukuthi ezinye zezingxoxo zenzeka ngocingo noma ngesikhathi semihlangano ye-inthanethi.
NgoSepthemba 2021, bashintshana ngama-imeyili mayelana "neseshini yokuqala" yesithombe. Kwathi ngoFebhuwari 17, 2022, uSaget wathumela enye i-imeyili kuMichael echaza inqubomgomo yemyuziyamu mayelana nokuqoqwa kwezinto.
“Akekho umuntu ophilayo ovunyelwe ukukhokhela ukufana kwakhe,” kubhala uSajet, ecaphuna inqubomgomo. “I-NPG ingaxhumana nomndeni womnakekeli, abangani kanye nabantu abajwayelene nabo ukuze bakhokhele izindleko zokufaka isithombe, uma nje i-NPG ihola ezingxoxweni futhi iqembu elimenyiwe lingathonyi ukukhetha noma intengo yomdwebi.”
NgoMashi 8, 2022, uSaget wabuza uMichael ukuthi angabelana yini ngocingo ngezibuyekezo ezivela kulabo ababonise intshisekelo yokusekela umsebenzi wemyuziyamu.
“Sesiqala ukuzifaka ezindlekweni ezidinga ukumbozwa futhi sifuna ukusondela ekuqoqweni kwemali ngalo msebenzi,” kubhala uSajet.
Ngemva kokuhlanganisa ucingo ngama-imeyili amaningana, uMichael wabhalela uSaget ngoMashi 25, 2022, ethi “oxhumana naye ongcono kakhulu wokuqhubeka nezingxoxo zethu” kwakunguSusie Wiles, umeluleki wezepolitiki waseRiphabhulikhi owaqokwa kamuva njengomeluleki omkhulu kaTrump ngo-2024. - umkhankaso wokhetho.
Encwadini ebhalwe ngoMeyi 11, 2022, ebhalweni likaSmithsonian, izikhulu zemyuziyamu zibhalele uMgcinimafa we-Save America PCC uBradley Clutter, zivuma “isithembiso samuva nje senhlangano yezepolitiki esingu-$650,000” sokusekela iKhomishini yezithombe zikaTrump.
"Ngenxa yokubonga lokhu kusekelwa okukhulu, iSmithsonian Institution izobonisa amagama athi 'Save America' kumalebula ezinto eziboniswe nesithombe ngesikhathi sombukiso kanye naseduze kwesithombe sesithombe kuwebhusayithi ye-NPG," kubhala imyuziyamu.
Bangeze ngokuthi i-PAC Save America izomema nezivakashi eziyi-10 embukisweni, kulandelwe ukubuka isithombe sangasese sezivakashi ezifika kwezinhlanu.
Ngomhlaka-20 kuJulayi 2022, uWiles wathumela ikhophi yesivumelwano esisayiniwe ku-Usha Subramanian, umqondisi wentuthuko eNational Portrait Gallery, nge-imeyili.
Ikhomishini engu-$750,000 yezithombe ezimbili zikaTrump izokhokhwa ngumnikelo we-Save America PAC kanye nesipho sesibili esingu-$100,000 esivela kumnikeli ozimele ongashiwongo igama, kusho imyuziyamu ngonyaka odlule.
Nakuba kungavamile, iminikelo isemthethweni ngoba iSave America iyi-PAC ebusayo, enemikhawulo embalwa ekusetshenzisweni kwezimali zayo. Ama-PAC anjalo, ngaphezu kokukhuphula abantu abanomqondo ofanayo, angasetshenziswa ukukhokhela abeluleki, ukumboza izindleko zokuhamba nezomthetho, phakathi kwezinye izindleko. Iningi lemali ye-Trump GAC livela kubanikeli abancane abaphendula ama-imeyili neminye imibuzo.
Abameleli bakaTrump benqabile ukuphawula. NgoLwesibili, okhulumela iSmithsonian Institution uConcetta Duncan utshele iThe Post ukuthi imyuziyamu ihlukanisa ikomidi likaTrump lezenzo zezepolitiki nomndeni wakhe kanye nebhizinisi lakhe.
“Ngenxa yokuthi i-PAC imele iqembu labaxhasi, i-Portrait Gallery iyajabula ukwamukela lezi zimali njengoba zingathinti ukukhethwa kwabaculi noma inani lesikhungo esihlangene,” kubhala yena ku-imeyili.
Imyuziyamu yabhekana nokugxekwa ngemuva kokuba umnikelo wenziwe emphakathini ngonyaka odlule. Ku-imeyili ka-Agasti odlule, usomaqhinga wezokuxhumana weSmithsonian waqoqa ama-tweets avela kubasebenzisi abathukuthele ngesimemezelo somnikelo.
“Yebo abantu ababonakali beqaphela ukuthi sinezithombe zabo bonke omongameli,” kubhala usomaqhinga wezokuxhumana u-Erin Blascoe. “Babecasukile ngokuthi sithole isithombe sikaTrump, kodwa futhi kwakukhona nabantu abaningi ababecasukile ngokuthi kwakubhekwa ‘njengomnikelo’, ikakhulukazi ngemva kokugxeka izindlela zabo zokuqoqa imali.”
Kufakwe nekhophi yencwadi ebhalwe ngesandla evela kumxhasi odumele owathi uneminyaka efanayo nomongameli wangaphambilini futhi wacela imyuziyamu ukuthi ingabonisi isithombe sikaTrump.
“Ngicela, okungenani kuze kube yilapho uphenyo lwe-DOJ kanye ne-FBI luphelile,” kubhala umxhasi. “Usebenzise i-White House yethu eyigugu ukwenza ubugebengu.”
Ngaleso sikhathi, uSt. Thomas watshela ozakwabo basemnyuziyamu ukuthi wayebheka abaphikisi “njengengxenye encane nje yeqhwa”.
“Funda lesi sihloko,” wabhala ku-imeyili. “Babhala ezinye izinto ezinikezwa yi-PAC. Silapho.”
Nakuba iNational Portrait Gallery yasungulwa yiCongress ngo-1962, ayizange imise omongameli abaphumayo kwaze kwaba ngu-1994, lapho uRonald Sherr edweba khona isithombe sikaGeorge W. Bush.
Esikhathini esidlule, izithombe bezixhaswa ngeminikelo yangasese, ngokuvamile evela kubasekeli bakahulumeni ophumayo. Abanikeli abangaphezu kuka-200, okubalwa kubo uSteven Spielberg, uJohn Legend noChrissy Teigen, banikele ekhomishini engu-$750,000 yezithombe zika-Obama zikaKehinde Wiley no-Amy Sherald. Uhlu lwabanikeli bezithombe zika-Obama noBush aluhlanganisi i-PKK.