A House inquiry found that former United States President Donald Trump's hotels charged Secret Service personnel "exorbitant rates," which were as much as five times more than the government rate, to stay overnight while protecting him and the first family.
The expense records that Congress recently obtained show that in 40 cases, the Trump Organization billed the Secret Service far higher rates than the approved government rate. In one case, the company charged agents $1,185 per night of stay at the Trump International Hotel in DC.
Charing Secret Service Agents
The new billing documents also show that US taxpayers funds were used to pay the president's company at least $1.4 million for Secret Service personnel stays at Trump properties. In a letter to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney said that the exorbitant rates raised significant concerns about the former president's self-dealing.
Furthermore, the records contradict what Eric Trump, the former president's son, and the Trump Organization's executive vice president, repeatedly claim that the family's company often gave the Secret Service agents the hotel rooms "at cost" or sometimes for free, providing steep discounts for the security team, as per the Washington Post.
He disputed that the Trump Organization profited off Secret Service stays at his family's properties. Eric added that any service rendered to the US Secret Service or other government agencies at Trump-owned properties was their own request.
The former president's son said that the company would have been substantially better off if hospitality services were sold to full-paying guests. However, he noted that the Trump Organization did whatever it took to accommodate the agencies to ensure that they were able to conduct their jobs at the highest levels.
According to CNN, Maloney noted that her committee has been seeking a full accounting of the expenditures of the Secret Service at Trump-owned properties for more than two years. However, she still has not yet received complete information on nightly rates or the total amount that the agency spent.
Exorbitant Rates
The committee is also looking at possible legislation to avoid what it called presidential self-dealing and profiteering. It also aims to curb conflicts of interest by ensuring that future presidents are prevented from exercising undue influence on Secret Service spending.
Maloney's committee claimed that the Trump Organization charged the Secret Service more than the government rate in at least 40 instances from January 2017 to September 2021. One instance was in March 2017 when Eric was promoting a golf tournament at the Trump National Golf Club and agents were charged $1,160 while the per diem rate was $242 at the time.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement that the agency has received the letter from the committee but did not reveal any specific details regarding the issue. The official noted that the goal of the agency was to safeguard its protectees.
A Secret Service record noted that "per diem rates could not be obtained," which referenced the government's official maximum rate. Under the law, the department is allowed to exceed those limits when its protective mission requires increased cost, the New York Times reported.
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