More woes for the Martin Luther King memorial:
A federal investigation is under way into the organization raising funds for a memorial to the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in the nation’s capital, according to two people interviewed as part of the inquiry. . .
The scope of the inquiry is not clear, but it seems to focus on whether the foundation was obliged to follow federal procurement rules, including competitive bidding and so-called “Buy American” policies favoring domestic sources. The foundation is largely supported by private donations, but it received almost $10 million from the federal government in 2006.
(Via Instapundit.)
Plus, there’s continuing complaints about whether the design and manner of construction of the memorial are worthy of the slain civil rights icon. Lei Yixin, the sculptor selected for the project who is best known for his official statues of Mao Zedong, probably didn’t help his case by defending Mao:
“He isn’t as bad as some people think,” the artist told [Cox Newspapers], while acknowledging that the man who led China from 1949 to 1976 “had made some mistakes.”
About 40 million of them.
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