After years of delays, and a price tag estimated to be over $1 billion, which includes over one hundred million in infrastructure paid for by Illinois taxpayers, the Obama Presidential Center opened its doors to the public on Friday, one day after a star studded opening ceremony and needless to say the left wing media ate it up. But there is a disturbing side to this story, one that involves minority owned companies, that most decided to ignore.
Subcontractors who worked on the Center claim that they are owed millions of dollars and are facing financial ruin. But if you watched CNN in prime time from 7-11 pm on Thursday, you did not hear about it. The Source with Kaitlan Collins is one example of the selective coverage, designed to prop up Obama.
COLLINS: Today at the opening of his Presidential Center and Library, we heard from President Obama as he offered his own contrast with every other living president, Republican and Democrat, in attendance for that speech. Now, President Trump's absence was not surprising, but it was notable, and it was certainly felt as the Obamas offered a competing vision of presidential power.
By the way, Trump was not invited to attend. And the opening lines to Obama's clip must have been infuriating to those who claim to be owed money for their services.
OBAMA: A belief in the intrinsic dignity and worth of all people, and that no one is above the law or beneath its protection. A belief in checks and balances in our government, and an accountability that comes with it. An independent judiciary and a robust free press. A belief that our military and law enforcement owe allegiance not to any president or political party, but to the people and our Constitution. A belief in the peaceful transfer of power after the people have spoken in fair and free elections.
By contrast, Fox News's prime time shows did report on the claims of the subcontractors, including Jesse Watters Primetime. Watters introduced a clip of the President of The African American Contractors Association, Omar Shareef, "You needed an I.D. to get in, but outside the gates, different scene. Apparently Obama stiffed the black subcontractors who built the stone slab."
SHAREEF: Some of our contractors are already in bankruptcy. That's what they are said, that if it wasn't the fact that they worked on this Obama project, they would not be under this type of problem filing bankruptcy for protection.... And what sense is in celebrating Juneteenth if all black contractors are not getting their money.
WATTERS: Barry built a billion dollar vanity project, booked celebrities to serenade him, and didn't pay the black construction workers. This isn't Donald Trump. This is Barack Hussein Obama who did that. Everything they've been yelling at Trump for, narcissism, hideous egotistical architecture, being overbudget. Barry has been doing it the whole time in Chicago. Trump's building big beautiful things and cleaning up the country for the American people. Not for himself. Obama built something for Obama , and it shows.
Next on Hannity, the story was first mentioned at the end of Garrett Tenney's package on the ceremony.
TENNEY: It's worth noting that as today's ceremonies kicked off, some of the contractors who actually built the center weren't celebrating, they were protesting over millions of dollars in payments that they say they are still owed.
HANNITY: But the worst part about this monument to Obama, now how is it spread the wealth around contractors allegedly now struggling to get paid with many now facing financial ruin. Take a look.
He then proceeded to present clips from Mike Owen, President of Adamson Plumbing, which claims to be owed some $4 million, and from Shareef, who went after the media.
SHAREEF: So many of our black contractors have complained about they have not got their money but the other side of it, a lot of the black community in the newspapers do not know that these people have not been paid.
OWEN: It's in my opinion that there's been mismanagement here that's been settled to the subcontractors and we've all had to absorb them and I just feel that that's not right.
HANNITY: To quote Obama, you didn't build that, but you better pay the people who did. Tens of millions of dollars in the bank, hundreds of millions raised for the Center, I don't see any excuse.
Nor is their any excuse for CNN or any other media outlet not to report on this, but even when it involves black contractors, the leftist media will opt to protect Obama. Sad.
