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Company Linked to Jan. 6 Got Millions in No-Bid Fed Contracts | SwampWatch

Company Linked to Jan. 6 Got Millions in No-Bid Fed Contracts

NEWS & RESEARCH

Event Strategies, Inc., a Virginia-based event production company, has worked with President Trump since his 2015 campaign launch. They even helped plan the January 6, 2021 rally. When Trump returned to office in 2025, he made Event Strategies’ Managing Partner, Justin Caporale, his Executive Producer for Major Events. Critics cite the ESI deals as a stark example of taxpayer money benefiting presidential cronies. Experts, including retired contractor Lorna Tedder, note that ESI’s exemption from competitive bidding bypasses standard protocols and abuses a no-bid process intended only for dire emergencies, such as wartime or life-threatening situations.During the first Trump term, Event Strategies received about $186,000 in federal contracts. Since 2025, Event Strategies has secured over $22 million in federal contracts. More than $13 million of these funds were awarded through noncompetitive procedures (a/k/a “‘no-bid’ contracts”).

ANALYSIS & OPINION

Critics cite the ESI deals as a stark example of taxpayer money benefiting presidential cronies. Experts, including retired contractor Lorna Tedder, note that ESI’s exemption from competitive bidding bypasses standard protocols and abuses a no-bid process intended only for dire emergencies, such as wartime or life-threatening situations. Jessica Tillipman, an associate dean at George Washington University Law School, questions whether the government had “a legitimate basis to sidestep competitive procedures,” saying that “Competition allows the government to contract for the best products, the best services, at the best value…” There are at least two issues: First, current law requires contractors to disclose many conflicts, but at this time, no law requires the disclosure of deep political connections with a party or politician.

ESI’s track record highlights this pay-to-play access and political favoritism: The little-known firm hadn’t received any federal contracts under Biden, and only about $50,000 worth in the last decade. Yet, under Trump, it has suddenly become the government's highest-paid event planner. Second, while there are databases that track government contracting, the lag between the awards and their release to the public can allow politically connected firms to benefit from noncompetitive awards before Congress or the public can understand why competition was bypassed.

SOURCES: Congressional Research Service | Brennan Center | New York Times | Wired | Sen. Schiff Press Release

HOW TO FIX IT

Federal action:

Federal action:

Pass the Transparency in Contracting Act of 2025, which requires reporting of price increases on noncompetitive contracts.”
Amend the Competition in Contracting Act to tighten the criteria for invoking the two loopholes used to award ESI its contracts—the sole-source exemption}_ and the _{urgency exemption—by requiring independent review before either can be invoked, and mandating that all justifications be publicly posted on USASpending.gov within a certain timeframe.
Pass a bill incorporating key provisions of POGO’s National Action Plan for Contract Reform, which would require all federal contract documents to be shared publicly. This would address a major issue with the ESI case, since, as the New York Times noted, “It is difficult to judge whether [the ESI] contracts run afoul of rules, because agencies have given so little detail about them.”
Pass the Protecting Our Democracy Act, which would protect Inspectors General (IGs)—independent watchdogs within federal departments and agencies who are tasked with investigating waste, fraud, and abuse—from being removed without legitimate, documented justification submitted to Congress. This would increase oversight by protecting IGs from retaliation if they investigated the ESI or other no-bid contracts within their departments.
Pass legislation requiring the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to automatically audit every sole-source or urgency-justified federal contract above a certain monetary threshold—closing the gap that currently allows agencies to invoke no-bid exemptions without independent scrutiny. Under existing law, GAO can review contract awards but only does so when asked. In the meantime, Congress can request that GAO review the ESI contracts specifically.
Strengthen federal conflict-of-interest laws—including 18 U.S.C. § 208, which prohibits government officials from participating in decisions that affect their financial interests—and build better enforcement mechanisms, as POGO has recommended. Direct the Office of Government Ethics to issue clearer rules on when officials must recuse themselves from contracting decisions, and update the Federal Acquisition Regulation to close gaps that allow people with government titles to influence those decisions without oversight or disclosure.
Demand responses to the letter sent by Sen. Schiff and three other Senators, who requested a full accounting of all contracts awarded to ESI, a list of every contract Justin Caporale was involved in, and written documentation of any conflict-of-interest recusals or waivers issued to White House personnel.
Strengthen Oversight: Enhance conflict-of-interest statutes and enforcement mechanisms within federal contracting.
Centraliize all “no-bid” contracts: Centralize all “no-bid” contracts or others that fit under exemptions in one place and require their public disclosure within 14 days.
Follow and support current investigations into federal contracting, such as those led by the End the Corruption Caucus.

Legislation: S.2809 - Transparency in Contracting Act of 2025 | S.2838 - Protecting Our Democracy Act

Conflict of Interest Nepotism or Cronyism Pay to Play

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