Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:37 pm
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tom Carper (D-DE) have uncovered an illegal conflict of interest involving President-elect Trump receiving pay from a government contract for his new Washington, DC hotel.
In a letter to the General Services Administration (GSA), Carper and Warren warn of an illegal conflict of interest:
In 2013, GSA negotiated a lease agreement with Trump Old Post Office, LLC—a private company owned by President-elect Trump and his adult children. In a material term of the contract, GSA requires that no elected officials play a role in the agreement … However, once President-elect Trump assumes office, he will oversee GSA and have the authority to appoint a new GSA Administrator, which will effectively make President-elect Trump landlord and tenant at the same time.
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The lease agreement between GSA and President-elect Trump states that the ‘Landlord [to whom the Trump Old Post Office LLC, pays rent] shall mean the United States of America.’ If the current lease agreement remains, President-elect Trump will receive compensation from the federal government separate from his annual salary, which is prohibited by the Constitution. Foreign governments are also reportedly paying for their official representatives to stay at Trump International Hotel because the property is affiliated with the incoming President—the Kingdom of Bahrain, for example, recently booked space at the Trump Hotel for a reception.
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Accordingly, GSA should immediately take steps to identify and mitigate any potential conflicts of interest relating to its lease agreement with President-elect Trump, including removing itself from the agreement to avoid any violations of law.
As the Senators wrote, Trump can’t be both landlord and tenant in a government contract. If Trump receives any compensation outside of his salary from the federal government, he will be breaking the law.
Trump thinks that he is above the law, and he has provided no details on how he is going to separate himself from his business interests. What Carper and Warren uncovered was a major conflict of interest that needs to be resolved before Trump takes office.
Democrats are not going to let Trump occupy the White House and act as if he is above the law. Since Trump has no desire to avoid conflicts of interest, the GSA must do the right thing and immediately withdraw from the Trump hotel contract.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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