White House ballroom

An editorial infographic titled "Taxpayer-Money Black Box: Public Money, Private Power, Missing Answers" by Walter Hargrave for ClubKnowledge, dated May 20, 2026. The graphic illustrates four distinct public-money tracking pathways as interconnected pipes and mechanisms flowing into a central black electronic console. Lane 1 shows a pipeline for the DOJ Anti-Weaponization Fund diverting $1.776 billion from the Judgment Fund with a "broken audit trail" indicator. Lane 2 displays a construction crane over an East Wing project labeled "privately funded" connected to a $1 billion Secret Service security appropriation route. Lane 3 depicts a DOGE analyst reviewing the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS) payment systems alongside a note on incomplete GAO selected controls. Lane 4 shows OGE Form 278-T stock disclosures juxtaposed against real-time market movements. Structural accountability questions such as "Who Approves?" and "What Independent Check?" are highlighted with red question marks across the system diagrams.

The Taxpayer-Money Black Box: Public Money, Private Power, Missing Answers

ClubK / May 20, 2026

A ClubKnowledge Wednesday Special Report on four public-money files: the Trump IRS settlement, White House ballroom security funding, DOGE access to Treasury payment systems, and OGE stock-disclosure timing.

An editorial infographic detailing the White House East Wing modernization project. It features an architectural diagram of the White House with a cutaway view of the $220 million underground ballroom hardening, juxtaposed against a giant Senate rulebook representing the $1 billion reconciliation budget dispute.

Accountability, Executive Power

The $1 Billion White House Ballroom Fight Hit a Senate Rulebook

ClubK / May 18, 2026

A $1 billion White House security proposal tied partly to Trump’s East Wing ballroom ran into Senate reconciliation rules. The fight is not over, but the route now matters.