On Friday, a committee in the U.S. Congress reported that companies belonging to former President Donald Trump attempted to conceal payments totaling millions of dollars from foreign governments that funneled through his hotel in downtown Washington, D.C. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform indicated that hotel records raise "concerning" questions about the Trump International Hotel, located in a historic building leased by the Trump Organization from the federal government. The hotel was a popular gathering place for Trump's supporters, foreign dignitaries, and Republican allies during his presidency.
The Democratic-controlled committee noted that while Trump reported earnings from the hotel exceeding $150 million during his time in office, in reality, he lost over $70 million. The committee discovered that the hotel received more than $3.7 million in payments from foreign governments, equivalent to approximately 7,400 nights of stay, raising the possibility of benefiting from his office in what is termed a conflict of interest. The U.S. Constitution prohibits the president from receiving payments or "gratuities" from foreign governments.
The committee stated that the hotel contributed a portion of these funds to the U.S. government, but did not provide details regarding it to the General Services Administration, the agency managing federal properties, while Trump's lawyers argued that his ownership of the hotel is not a violation of constitutional provisions. Congressional Democrats assert that the General Services Administration obstructed their investigation into Trump's dealings while he was in office.
The committee also concluded that Trump transferred millions of dollars through other companies, complicating matters for the General Services Administration and hindering its ability to enforce provisions that prohibited him from profiting from the hotel. The committee found that he also concealed debts when submitting the bid to use the property in 2011.
