Trump condemns border wall auctions: 'An almost criminal act'

The Biden administration was criticized by President-elect Trump for selling off unused border wall materials at a discounted rate, which he deemed "almost a criminal act."

Trump urged Biden to halt the sales of the wall and threatened to obtain a restraining order to prevent the re-purchase of large steel bollards and concrete, which he claimed would cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

The president-elect stated that he is collaborating with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and other state leaders to recover the materials.

"They're performing an act that's almost criminal, and they know we'll use it," he said. "If we don't have it, we'll have to rebuild it, which will cost twice as much as it did years ago, and that's hundreds of millions of dollars because we're talking about a lot of wall."

A week after videos were released showing large portions of border wall materials being transported from the border for sale at auction, the Daily Wire reported that a whistleblower at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated that the administration's objective was to sell off all unused border wall materials at three stations in Arizona by Christmas.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for constructing and managing the border wall, as stated by a representative for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to Planet Chronicle Digital.

According to a source at the Department of Defense, the items currently being sold through online auctions were previously sold by the federal government earlier this year, with a significant portion of the materials being purchased by a government surplus retailer known as Gov Planet.

The Defense Department has no legal authority to retrieve or halt the resale of materials that are no longer under its control.

The leader of Yuma County, located on the western side of Arizona, has confirmed to Planet Chronicle Digital that the Biden administration has consistently sold unused border materials since 2021.

Over the past three years, Iron Planet has partnered with the federal government to sell materials, with auctions starting at $5 but typically ending up being sold for between $8,000 and $10,000, according to Yuma County supervisor Jonathan Lines.

Lines rejected claims that the Biden administration is boosting its sales of border wall materials to dispose of them before the Trump presidency, labeling these as "exaggeration."

Every week or every other week, sections of the wall are consistently sold, he explained.

Last week, Gov Planet listed border wall materials on an online auction site, with a minimum opening bid of $5 per 20 tons of steel bollards.

Trump, with government efficiency being a top priority for his second administration, specifically criticized the financial waste of the auctions.

"The individuals attempting to purchase or those who have already bought it are attempting to negotiate with us to resell it at an astronomical markup, far exceeding the original purchase price," he stated. "Consider the absurdity of this situation, and it's clear that these individuals are not interested in the success of our country. This issue transcends political affiliations and is a matter of common sense. We won on the basis of common sense, and this may be one of the most flagrant examples I've encountered."

"Therefore, I urge Joe Biden to halt the construction of the wall, as it is a highly divisive issue that has caused much controversy. I hope that he will be successful in putting an end to it."