A growing controversy is brewing around the Obama Presidential Center as new details emerge about its leadership pay and a call for unpaid labor just months before its grand opening.
At the center of the backlash is Valerie Jarrett, a longtime Obama ally and current CEO of the Obama Foundation, who reportedly earned $740,000 last year. Now, she is asking everyday Americans to step in as unpaid “ambassadors” to help operate the nearly $850 million facility when it opens this June.
The foundation has launched a formal volunteer program, seeking between 75 and 100 individuals to greet guests and guide tours. While framed as a community-driven initiative, critics are questioning the optics of high executive compensation paired with a reliance on free labor.
A Familiar Inner Circle, A Well-Paid Leadership
Financial disclosures reviewed by Fox News Digital reveal that several of the foundation’s top earners share deep ties to the Obama administration.
David Simas, who once served as President Obama’s White House political director, earned as much as $626,000 annually during his tenure leading the foundation from 2017 to 2020. Adewale Adeyemo, who later became Deputy Treasury Secretary under President Biden, reportedly made around $540,000 as the foundation’s first president.
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