Trump hotel in Washington charged Secret Service $200,000 in president's first year
Source: NBC News
Trump hotel in Washington charged Secret Service $200,000 in president's first year
The hotel five blocks from the White House has been used by Trump and his supporters for events that require the agency's protection.
June 27, 2019, 5:30 AM EDT
By Kenzi Abou-Sabe and Safia Samee Ali
During the first year of Donald Trump’s presidency, the Trump International Hotel in Washington charged the Secret Service more than $200,000 in taxpayer money, including a bill topping $30,000 for two days of use, according to expense documents obtained by NBC News. ... The documents, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request covering Secret Service expenditures, detail money the agency spent at the property from September 2016 to February 2018, which came to a total of $215,254.
While the nature of the charges were not disclosed in the documents, the hotel five blocks from the White House has become a go-to venue for Trump and his supporters for various events, including a fundraiser the president attended Tuesday for his re-election campaign. ... These type of events inevitably require Secret Service detail and heavy use of the property and food services to accommodate and feed personnel.
The agency paid $33,638 for unspecified charges over two days in June, which coincided with Trump's first re-election campaign fundraiser. Guests paid $35,000 a plate, according to The Washington Post. ... Other charges paid out by the Secret Service include a bill for $14,900 for two days in June 2017 and another for $11,475 for two days the next month, according to the documents obtained by NBC News. ... The Secret Service said in a statement Wednesday that it could not discuss costs or resources used to carry out its work.
Trump’s decision to patronize his own property while holding office has raised red flags not just around an ethical conflict of interest, but also what some say is a violation of the Constitution’s emoluments clause, which bars federal officials from accepting benefits from foreign or state governments without congressional approval. ... Trump's lawyers deny that the president has violated the emoluments clause, contending that the constitutional provision only bars compensation made in connection with services provided in his official capacity with a foreign or domestic government.
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Kenzi Abou-Sabe is an associate producer with the NBC News Investigative Unit.
Safia Samee Ali writes for NBC News, based in Chicago.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-hotel-washington-charged-secret-service-200-000-president-s-n1022641
Hat tip, Joe.My.God: https://www.joemygod.com/2019/06/trumps-dc-hotel-billed-secret-service-200k-in-2017/
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