Barack Obama Busted — Trump Finally Gets Incredible Revenge
A subcontractor from Chicago has filed a $40 million lawsuit against a firm overseeing construction of the Obama Presidential Center, alleging racially biased practices forced them into unplanned labor that pushed their business to the brink of collapse.
As reported by Fox News, the suit was filed by Robert McGee, owner of II in One Contractors. His company has been supplying rebar and concrete services for the center since 2021. The defendant, Thornton Tomasetti—a New York-based engineering firm—is responsible for the structural design and engineering aspects of the $830 million project.
McGee asserts that Thornton Tomasetti altered standard guidelines set by the American Concrete Institute, enforcing new and stricter requirements for rebar placement and tolerances. He claims these changes resulted in “excessively rigorous and unnecessary inspection,” which led to massive cost overruns.
The complaint further alleges that the added documentation demands caused significant production delays and millions in financial damages.
Thornton Tomasetti, however, reportedly responded almost a year ago in court filings, arguing that the subcontractors were “questionably qualified,” and that their own missteps were the source of delays and issues.
The Obama Presidential Center—currently under construction near Chicago’s Jackson Park—is set to house a museum, a library, and areas for community meetings and events. It will also feature space for the Obama Foundation, which manages the site and runs a fellowship program through the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy.
McGee claims Thornton Tomasetti unfairly deemed his minority-owned business as unqualified, while allowing non-minority-owned contractors to proceed without scrutiny, despite having similar levels of expertise.
According to Fox, McGee is seeking reimbursement for approximately $40 million in expenses his firm and its partner, Concrete Collective, incurred during the project.
“In a shocking and disheartening turn of events, the African American owner of a local construction company finds himself and his company on the brink of forced closure because of racial discrimination by the structural engineer,” the lawsuit claims. It also states that “II in One and its joint venture partners… was subjected to baseless criticisms and defamatory and discriminatory accusations by the Obama Foundation’s structural engineer, Thornton Tomasetti.”
In a memorandum dated February 2024, Thornton Tomasetti countered by blaming II in One’s lackluster performance and “underperformance and inexperience” for the complications. The firm backed up its position with images showing cracked concrete slabs and exposed rebar.
Thornton Tomasetti’s internal documentation said the contractors caused “a multitude of problems in the field,” and that its team had invested hundreds of hours on reviews, redesigns, and remedial actions. The company insisted the issues stemmed entirely from the contractors’ execution, stating, “We cannot watch as contractors try to blame the design team for their own failures.”
In cases where a more capable subcontractor might not have needed extra oversight, the engineering and architectural teams “went above and beyond to support what everyone knows was a questionably qualified subcontractor team,” the firm added.
Fox noted that the development has faced repeated hurdles. Initially expected to break ground in 2018, construction was delayed until 2021 and the center is now projected to open in 2026.
Community advocates have voiced concern that the center’s presence could lead to rising rents and displacement of local residents. Environmentalists have also objected, arguing that the project threatens bird habitats and results in excessive tree removal.
Despite opposition and the threat of legal action, the plan to move forward with the center was approved. A lawsuit aiming to block the build was ultimately rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2021, according to Newsweek.