Richard Grenell fired back at Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and The New York Times, blasting what he called fake news-fueled, politically motivated attacks on his leadership of the Kennedy Center.
The confrontation erupted after the Rhode Island Democrat sent Grenell a breathless letter accusing the president of the cultural center of misuse of funds, improper contracts and zero-dollar rental deals — charges Grenell rejected as false and reckless.
In a letter to Whitehouse, Grenell said the controversy rested on a single false premise:
The New York Times’ claim that FIFA was given “free and exclusive use” of the Kennedy Center and that an estimated $5 million rental bill had been waived — a conclusion he called the Times’ “gigantic mistake.”
Before detailing the financial records, Grenell issued an early warning on X to the Times and anyone echoing the claim.
"If the New York Times refuses to print a correction, then we will sue them. And everyone else who repeats this false story.”
He wrote that the narrative was collapsing and that the Times “made a colossal error about FIFA.”
Grenell then wrote a series of additional X posts disproving Whitehouse and linking to his letter.
“@SenWhitehouse just stepped in it,” he wrote. “He attacked the Kennedy Center with outrageous claims. So we responded with the facts.”
In a second post, he said: “The NYT and the Senator’s letter writer are going to be embarrassed. We have a balanced budget, we’ve raised a whopping $117 MILLION under @realDonaldTrump — and FIFA has paid millions plus covered all expenses.”
Whitehouse’s letter repeated a list of allegations from Democrat staff, claiming Grenell had “turned the Kennedy Center away from its mission” and used it to “enrich friends and acquaintances.”
Grenell pushed back sharply.
In his letter, he called the accusations “careless attacks” built on “anonymous sources, inaccurate gossip, and partisan reporters who never reviewed the real financials.”
He wrote in the same letter that when he arrived, the Kennedy Center was drowning in waste. The Development Department had 94 employees. Maintenance had been ignored. Spending had spiraled beyond control.
Under President Donald Trump’s direction, Grenell cut the Development staff from 94 to 16, a move he said saved $4 million and helped produce record fundraising. In that section of the letter he wrote, “We inherited a bloated and inefficient operation, and we fixed it.”
Grenell underscored the turnaround in the middle of his letter, writing: “With $117 million raised under President Trump, millions more coming from FIFA, and our first balanced budget in decades, we’re making money. These are the facts your staff ignored.”
Whitehouse’s letter also leaned heavily on The New York Times’ FIFA claims, repeating the paper’s portrayal of the sponsorship as a giveaway that disrupted holiday programming.
The Times claimed FIFA received “free and exclusive use” of the center — valued at $5 million — and asserted that the rental bill was waived.
But Grenell, in both his letter and public comments, insisted the Times got the story “fundamentally wrong.”
He wrote that FIFA “gave us several million dollars” and “paid all expenses for the event in lieu of a rental fee.”
He said the Times confused a sponsorship agreement with a simple venue rental.
Grenell also included language from the FIFA contract in his rebuttal letter, quoting FIFA representatives who wrote that they were “pleased to support the Kennedy Center with partner-level funding.”
FIFA also “fully understood and accepted all financial responsibilities associated with the World Cup Draw.”
He said these lines alone disproved the Times’ reporting.
Grenell went further on X, blasting Times reporter Katie Benner:
“New York Times reporter @ktbenner is an activist Lefty,” he wrote.
“She wrote a hit piece full of lies about FIFA and the Kennedy Center, failed to include our immediate statement — and then was ‘off line’ for hours today as the lies circulated.”
He added: “This isn’t remotely how a real journalist behaves.”
But, he said, her editors don't care since her Times editors have "TDS."
In his letter to the senator, Grenell also outlined a series of financial reforms. He said the Center now operates with its first balanced budget in decades.
Grenell has eliminated excessive board-meeting costs, ended six-figure gatherings under prior leadership, and required all departments to submit business plans and comply with new spending rules.
He added that the Center has not canceled shows. Instead, programs must break even or secure donor support.
“We do not lose money,” he wrote. “That era is over.”
On political participation, Grenell said the Center welcomes both parties and has repeatedly invited Democrats to see the reforms.
“Not a single Democrat has accepted,” he wrote.
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