It’s probably safe to say that, despite his storied career, most Americans had probably never heard of jazz musician Chuck Redd before he canceled his annual Christmas Eve Jazz Jam concert at the Kennedy Center, after President Donald J. Trump’s name was slammed onto the national performing arts venue in violation of the law. But Redd’s protest caught the attention of the national media, landing stories in the Associated Press, Politico, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, among others. So what did the Trump-appointed president of the formerly prestigious arts palace do? He made Redd famous by threatening him with a $1 million lawsuit.

The grounds for the suit aren’t entirely clear. The thing is, the Kennedy Center lost zero dollars due to Redd’s cancellation; it was a free concert. The only people who lost money due to vibrophonist’s protest were Redd and likely the musicians who were scheduled to perform with him. And, of course, one could argue that Redd’s move actually saved the Kennedy Center money, on staff and heating and the like.

But that didn’t stop Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell from either lying about that or displaying ignorance in his letter threatening Redd: “Your dismal ticket sales and lack of donor support, combined with your last-minute cancellation has cost us considerably,” Grenell wrote to Redd in an undated letter released on December 26. “This is your official notice that we will seek $1 million in damages from you for this political stunt.”

How one has “dismal ticket sales” for a free concert is never explained. However, the

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