Trump-Favored Construction Firm Involved In Ongoing Inspector General Investigation Wins $1.3B Border Wall Contract

TOPLINE

A North Dakota construction company involved in an ongoing Defense Department Inspector General investigation and favored by President Donald Trump was awarded a $1.3 billion contract to build a segment of border wall earlier this month.

KEY FACTS

Chief critic

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who asked the DoD IG to launch the investigation, said it was irresponsible to move forward with the contract.

“Given the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing investigation into Fisher, the administration should pause construction and contracting decisions until the investigation has concluded favorably and it is safe to resume nonessential construction projects,” he said in a statement to the Washington Post.

Key background

Fisher Sand & Gravel has already started building some barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border funded by the nonprofit We Build The Wall. The organization, which counts Steve Bannon and Blackwater USA founder Erik Prince as members of its advisory board, aims to build its own border wall on private land with private funds. For projects unrelated to the border wall, Fisher Sand & Gravel has dozens of environmental, tax and workplace violations dating back to 2000, according to a violations database from Good Jobs First, a nonprofit promoting corporate accountability.