Department of Justice Spending on Trump Banners Revealed in Newly Released Documents
The decision to award the contract without competition has raised eyebrows among government watchdogs, who argue that it may have limited the opportunity for other companies to bid on the project. The use of a sole source contract also means that the department did not have to provide a detailed justification for its decision, as it would have been required to do under a competitive bidding process.
According to the contract, the work was to be completed in four months, with the department paying Llorente Enterprises in three installments. The first payment of $298,397.35 was due upon completion of the power washing and cleaning of the building's exterior surfaces. The second payment of $297,397.35 was due after the installation of the banners, and the final payment of $296,397.37 was due upon completion of the entire project.
The installation of the banners has also sparked debate among Washingtonians, with some arguing that they are an unnecessary expense and others seeing them as a celebration of the country's history. The Justice Department's decision to hang the banners has been seen by some as a reflection of the president's desire to leave his mark on the city's landscape.
As the controversy surrounding the banners continues to grow, congressional lawmakers are calling for greater transparency and accountability in the department's spending decisions. The House Judiciary Committee has requested more information about the contract and the decision-making process behind it, and lawmakers are expected to press the department for answers in the coming weeks.
The department's spending on the banners is also likely to be scrutinized as part of a broader review of the administration's use of taxpayer funds for promotional materials and events. The use of government funds for what some see as overtly political purposes has been a contentious issue in recent months, with lawmakers from both parties calling for greater oversight and transparency.
The Justice Department's response to the criticism has been to emphasize the importance of celebrating the country's history and the role of the department in upholding the law. However, the controversy surrounding the banners is likely to continue, with many questioning the wisdom of using taxpayer funds for what some see as a self-promotional exercise.
The government database shows Llorente Enterprises has held other federal contracts stretching back to the Biden administration, including with Justice and the General Services Administration. It has done several million dollars’ worth of work at Main Justice, renovating spaces used for a gift shop and museum, as well as a sensitive compartmented information facility, or SCIF, designed to handle classified information.
The company’s website says it does construction and mechanical work for government agencies, commercial customers and hospitals in the Washington metropolitan area. Other agencies have hung banners depicting Trump. The Department of Agriculture spent $16,400 for banners showing Trump and former President Abraham Lincoln, according to records obtained under a different FOIA request.
Banners with the photographs of Presidents Donald Trump and Abraham Lincoln hang near the entrance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture building in Washington on May 16, 2025. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a vocal critic of the president, has been investigating those in government that have displayed Trump banners.
In a statement last week, the senator said he found a $39,000 contract for the Department of the Interior’s banners featuring Trump. He uncovered another contract of up to $114,000 for similar banners at the Federal Aviation Administration. “Not only is this a terrible waste of Americans’ hard-earned money, it is clearly against the law,” Schiff said.
The California Democrat added, “Congress has long outlawed spending tax dollars on propaganda and self-aggrandizement and an eight-story-high Donald Trump head certainly qualifies as propaganda.” People walk near Interior Department headquarters in Washington on July 8. Banners with images of Presidents George Washington and Donald Trump hang from the building's facade.
According to the contract, the work was to be completed in four months, with the department paying Llorente Enterprises in three installments. The first payment of $298,397.35 was due upon completion of the power washing and cleaning of the building's exterior surfaces. The second payment of $297,397.35 was due after the installation of the banners, and the final payment of $296,397.37 was due upon completion of the entire project.
The installation of the banners has also sparked debate among Washingtonians, with some arguing that they are an unnecessary expense and others seeing them as a celebration of the country's history. The Justice Department's decision to hang the banners has been seen by some as a reflection of the president's desire to leave his mark on the city's landscape.
As the controversy surrounding the banners continues to grow, congressional lawmakers are calling for greater transparency and accountability in the department's spending decisions. The House Judiciary Committee has requested more information about the contract and the decision-making process behind it, and lawmakers are expected to press the department for answers in the coming weeks.
The department's spending on the banners is also likely to be scrutinized as part of a broader review of the administration's use of taxpayer funds for promotional materials and events. The use of government funds for what some see as overtly political purposes has been a contentious issue in recent months, with lawmakers from both parties calling for greater oversight and transparency.
The Justice Department's response to the criticism has been to emphasize the importance of celebrating the country's history and the role of the department in upholding the law. However, the controversy surrounding the banners is likely to continue, with many questioning the wisdom of using taxpayer funds for what some see as a self-promotional exercise.
The government database shows Llorente Enterprises has held other federal contracts stretching back to the Biden administration, including with Justice and the General Services Administration. It has done several million dollars’ worth of work at Main Justice, renovating spaces used for a gift shop and museum, as well as a sensitive compartmented information facility, or SCIF, designed to handle classified information.
The company’s website says it does construction and mechanical work for government agencies, commercial customers and hospitals in the Washington metropolitan area. Other agencies have hung banners depicting Trump. The Department of Agriculture spent $16,400 for banners showing Trump and former President Abraham Lincoln, according to records obtained under a different FOIA request.
Banners with the photographs of Presidents Donald Trump and Abraham Lincoln hang near the entrance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture building in Washington on May 16, 2025. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a vocal critic of the president, has been investigating those in government that have displayed Trump banners.
In a statement last week, the senator said he found a $39,000 contract for the Department of the Interior’s banners featuring Trump. He uncovered another contract of up to $114,000 for similar banners at the Federal Aviation Administration. “Not only is this a terrible waste of Americans’ hard-earned money, it is clearly against the law,” Schiff said.
The California Democrat added, “Congress has long outlawed spending tax dollars on propaganda and self-aggrandizement and an eight-story-high Donald Trump head certainly qualifies as propaganda.” People walk near Interior Department headquarters in Washington on July 8. Banners with images of Presidents George Washington and Donald Trump hang from the building's facade.
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