Report: Federal Groups Looking Into DC's Trump International Hotel Lease
- 7 years ago
There have been many questions raised about the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., and according to Bloomberg BNA, two federal watchdog groups are examining the hotel's lease.
Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. is housed in the Old Post Office Building, which is owned by the U.S. Government and leased through the General Services Administration, or GSA.
Amid ongoing questions about conflicts of interest involving President Trump and his businesses, Bloomberg BNA reports that two federal watchdog groups are examining the hotel's lease.
According to Bloomberg BNA, “Both the Government Accountability Office and GSA’s Office of Inspector General have opened probes into the lease, officials with both groups confirmed.”
It notes that the GSA had looked into the matter and in March, “concluded that the Trump [International] Hotel lease is in ‘full compliance.’”
That resolution did not rest easy among many and, as CBS News states, “Watchdog groups and some members of Congress…have called on the [Office of Inspector General] to review GSA's management of the lease with the Trump Organization.”
Jennifer Ashley, a spokesperson for the Government Accountability Office, the other entity looking into the arrangement, told CNN on Wednesday, “Our review will be looking generally at the GSA outleasing program. We expect that it will cover a wide range of issues and leases."
Issues at the center of this particular lease include the possibility that the president will benefit financially from his office, as those seeking his favor may do so by patronizing the establishment.
Though there is a lease clause that reads, in part, “that [no] elected official of the government...shall be admitted to any share or part of this Lease, or to any benefit that may arise therefrom," there have been differing views of what that actually means.
CNN notes that while Trump, “transferred operational control of his vast business holdings to his sons and a Trump Organization executive,” before taking office, “he is the beneficiary of the trust that was established.”
Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. is housed in the Old Post Office Building, which is owned by the U.S. Government and leased through the General Services Administration, or GSA.
Amid ongoing questions about conflicts of interest involving President Trump and his businesses, Bloomberg BNA reports that two federal watchdog groups are examining the hotel's lease.
According to Bloomberg BNA, “Both the Government Accountability Office and GSA’s Office of Inspector General have opened probes into the lease, officials with both groups confirmed.”
It notes that the GSA had looked into the matter and in March, “concluded that the Trump [International] Hotel lease is in ‘full compliance.’”
That resolution did not rest easy among many and, as CBS News states, “Watchdog groups and some members of Congress…have called on the [Office of Inspector General] to review GSA's management of the lease with the Trump Organization.”
Jennifer Ashley, a spokesperson for the Government Accountability Office, the other entity looking into the arrangement, told CNN on Wednesday, “Our review will be looking generally at the GSA outleasing program. We expect that it will cover a wide range of issues and leases."
Issues at the center of this particular lease include the possibility that the president will benefit financially from his office, as those seeking his favor may do so by patronizing the establishment.
Though there is a lease clause that reads, in part, “that [no] elected official of the government...shall be admitted to any share or part of this Lease, or to any benefit that may arise therefrom," there have been differing views of what that actually means.
CNN notes that while Trump, “transferred operational control of his vast business holdings to his sons and a Trump Organization executive,” before taking office, “he is the beneficiary of the trust that was established.”