1. United States
2. N.J.
3. Letter

The National Park Service has been working to fulfill an unprecedented directive from Trump officials: Parcel off a corner of Yosemite National Park to give to a private developer, Kingsbarn Realty Capital. Jeff Pori, the CEO of Kingsbarn, has many connections to Donald Trump. Between 2024 and 2025, Pori made monthly donations to the Republican Party committee, Trump’s campaign committee and associated PACs. Pori does not have a history of donating to national political campaign efforts before October 2024. This reeks of corruption. If the deal goes through, the Trump administration would be breaking with 150 years of American precedent at the birthplace of the national park system. Indeed, attempts to acquire this particular parcel have been thwarted by previous administrations for decades. Interior’s advocacy for the deal is a significant reversal of a pledge Secretary Doug Burgum made in his 2025 confirmation hearing: “The national parks, absolutely we need to support and protect every single inch of those.” Congress must step in to protect national lands that belong to The People, not Donald Trump.