Obama Presidential Center subcontractor files $40M discrimination lawsuit

This isn't the type of press that Barack Obama wanted surrounding his new Presidential Center, which is expected to open in 2026.

According to Fox News, a Chicago-based subcontractor is suing one of the firms involved in managing the center's construction for $40 million.

The lawsuit claims that "racial discriminatory practices forced the firm to do extra work that left it at risk of bankruptcy."

"Ironic" doesn't even begin to describe this situation.

Especially back in 2008, practically the entire basis of Barack Obama's campaign was the fact that he had the chance to be America's first Black president. Obama didn't really have to make people understand his policies or what he was going to achieve in office, he just had to get people excited about "change" and having a Black man in office.

Throughout most of Obama's tenure in the White House and Joe Biden's as well, their administrations made DEI one of the focal points of their jobs.

To have a company so deeply involved in the construction of his Presidential Center now accused of racism is the last thing Barack Obama ever wanted.

Per Fox News:

Robert McGee, the owner of II in One, which provided concrete and rebar services for the center starting in 2021, filed the lawsuit in federal court last month against New York-based Thornton Tomasetti, which oversees structural engineering and design services for the $830 million project.

McGee is accusing Thornton Tomasetti of changing standards and imposing new rules for the rebar spacing and tolerance requirements for the structure. These requirements differed from the American Concrete Institute standards and resulted in "excessively rigorous and unnecessary inspection."

These changes, McGee claims, impacted productivity and resulted in millions in losses, according to the lawsuit.

McGee is seeking to be paid back for around $40,000,000 in construction costs that his company covered.

The Obama Presidential Center is being erected near Jackson Park in Chicago and is projected to feature a museum, a library, and various community and conference facilities.