Washington, DC -- Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.) and House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding documents and communications related to reports that some U.S. ambassadors are pressuring foreign companies for million-dollar donations tied to a Trump-aligned fundraising operation that sells access to the President.
The letter targets a sprawling solicitation effort run out of American embassies in Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, where diplomats have leaned on foreign executives to bankroll events branded with the logo of Freedom 250. Huffman and Meeks write that the administration has used the group to “aggressively solicit private donations, offering donors who contribute $1 million or more preferred access to the President, VIP seating, photo opportunities, and public speaking roles tied to official White House activities.”
Reports show U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass wrote directly to prospective donors seeking “significant financial support” for Mission Japan's America 250 celebrations, with roughly $35 million raised from Japanese companies. The U.S. consulate in Hong Kong has handed companies formal solicitation forms. And on February 5, 2026, U.S. Ambassador to Singapore Anjani Sinha hosted a dinner at the Capella Singapore where he told executives, “I need your money,” with the Freedom 250 logo displayed on screens around the room. Sinha himself gave $1 million to a Trump-backed super PAC before his appointment.
In their letter, Huffman and Meeks write that the solicitation of large foreign donations tied to presidential access “represents a significant departure from historical norms and raises profound questions about whether foreign nationals and companies are being offered inappropriate influence over U.S. government activities in exchange for cash payments for America’s 250th celebration.”
The Members are requesting all documents and communications related to fundraising by U.S. diplomatic missions in Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore since January 20, 2025; State Department guidance to diplomatic missions on America 250 and Freedom 250 fundraising; communications between State, the National Park Foundation, Freedom 250, and the White House over use of the Freedom 250 name and branding; ethics guidance sought or provided on foreign solicitations; and records of any benefits or access offered to foreign donors.
Huffman and Meeks closed: “The degree to which State Department personnel, resources, and the prestige of official diplomatic positions have been mobilized in service of a politically motivated and partisan fundraising enterprise demands transparency. […] The American people deserve to know whether their diplomatic representatives abroad are being used to advance a pay-to-play fundraising scheme tied to access to the President of the United States, and whether foreign money is flowing into activities that blur the line between official government functions and personal political benefit."
Read the full letter HERE.
The letter targets a sprawling solicitation effort run out of American embassies in Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, where diplomats have leaned on foreign executives to bankroll events branded with the logo of Freedom 250. Huffman and Meeks write that the administration has used the group to “aggressively solicit private donations, offering donors who contribute $1 million or more preferred access to the President, VIP seating, photo opportunities, and public speaking roles tied to official White House activities.”
Reports show U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass wrote directly to prospective donors seeking “significant financial support” for Mission Japan's America 250 celebrations, with roughly $35 million raised from Japanese companies. The U.S. consulate in Hong Kong has handed companies formal solicitation forms. And on February 5, 2026, U.S. Ambassador to Singapore Anjani Sinha hosted a dinner at the Capella Singapore where he told executives, “I need your money,” with the Freedom 250 logo displayed on screens around the room. Sinha himself gave $1 million to a Trump-backed super PAC before his appointment.
In their letter, Huffman and Meeks write that the solicitation of large foreign donations tied to presidential access “represents a significant departure from historical norms and raises profound questions about whether foreign nationals and companies are being offered inappropriate influence over U.S. government activities in exchange for cash payments for America’s 250th celebration.”
The Members are requesting all documents and communications related to fundraising by U.S. diplomatic missions in Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore since January 20, 2025; State Department guidance to diplomatic missions on America 250 and Freedom 250 fundraising; communications between State, the National Park Foundation, Freedom 250, and the White House over use of the Freedom 250 name and branding; ethics guidance sought or provided on foreign solicitations; and records of any benefits or access offered to foreign donors.
Huffman and Meeks closed: “The degree to which State Department personnel, resources, and the prestige of official diplomatic positions have been mobilized in service of a politically motivated and partisan fundraising enterprise demands transparency. […] The American people deserve to know whether their diplomatic representatives abroad are being used to advance a pay-to-play fundraising scheme tied to access to the President of the United States, and whether foreign money is flowing into activities that blur the line between official government functions and personal political benefit."
Read the full letter HERE.