With the shift in political winds in Washington, DC, renewed scrutiny could fall on Boise-based Micron Technology and scores of other firms that donated to a new ballroom on the site of the East Wing of the White House.Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, sent a letter Thursday to Micron CEO Sanj ay Mehrotra demanding “documents and information” about the company’s donations to the ballroom project. The letter indicated he has reached out for details on three separate occasions in his role in the minority on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and claimed Micron has not complied with the requests. “For well over a year, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations minority… has been conducting an inquiry into President Trump’s corrupt dealings with corporate America, including his solicitations of private donations to construct a gilded and gaudy ballroom on White House grounds,” Blumenthal wrote in his letter. “The subcommittee has previously written to you requesting documents and information about your donation to the President’s ballroom; however, you have failed to adequately respond. Given this failure, I am writing to renew my previous request for records and information and to reiterate my expectation that you promptly comply.”The Washington Post reported last month that Micron pledged a $2.5 million donation to the ballroom project, citing an “internal spreadsheet” the outlet obtained. Blumenthal’s office issued 58 identical letters to companies including Meta Platforms, HP, Inc., Lockheed Martin, and others. No other companies based in Idaho were issued letters.Bluemthal’s letter gives the companies until January 4, 2027, to “voluntarily produce” the documents he wants to see. That is one day after the next class of US Senators will be sworn in. The Senate majority will swing from Republican control to Democratic control after Tuesday’s election. Democrats have won 54 seats in the chamber, with races in Mississippi and Alaska still undecided. That will give Blumenthal subpoena power, which could give his currently optional requests some teeth.BoiseDev asked a Micron spokesperson about the letter, but the company didn’t reply by the deadline for this story. We asked whether the company or Mr. Mehrotra had responded to Blumenthal’s previous requests, whether the company intends to respond now, whether it believes the inquiry is valid, and whether it thinks subpoenas are justified. We also asked Micron for its general stance on any donations it made to the ballroom project.Political tiesAs BoiseDev reported, Mehrotra was one of a number of high-profile CEOs to join Trump on a state visit to China earlier this year to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Mehrotra also appeared at the White House during a Diwali celebration last fall, and at a “Rose Garden Club” dinner with tech executives in the summer of 2025.Sanjay Mehrotra appears with Joe Biden at an event in Clay New York in October, 2022. Photo: Adam Schultz/The White HouseMehrotra also appeared with former President Joe Biden at a 2023 state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and at the 2024 announcement of a grant for Micron’s plant near Syracuse, New York.Mehrotra has worked to navigate shifts in the U.S. political environment. He appeared on Capitol Hill in 2022 to pitch what became the CHIPS and Science Act, which led to federal government subsidies for a large-scale expansion of Micron’s facility on Federal Way in Boise, among other projects.During his first months back in office, Trump told Congress that it should “get rid of the CHIPS Act.” Last spring, Micron revamped its messaging around diversity, equity, and inclusion, removing online references to the phrase after outspoken criticism from Trump. It also stopped releasing an annual report on its DEI efforts.Micron then announced a second Boise fabrication facility, including additional federal government support awarded under the Trump administration. ...read more read less