The federal agency responsible for managing and overseeing the Trump Organization’s lease for the brand’s hotel at the federally-owned Old Post Office Building in Washington, DC didn’t conduct a single review or investigation into the ethical or legal consequences of the President of the United States running a profit-making operation on federal grounds, NBC News reports in an exclusive.
A report for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure found the General Services Administration also did not track foreign payments to the property. Donald Trump claimed that he would remit to the Treasury all revenue generated from foreigners at his properties; there was no way to confirm the numbers claimed. The GSA also did not investigate the sources of the loans Trump obtained to secure the renovation of the site, which Trump unloaded last month for a reported $375 million.
The GSA “washed its hands of any responsibility” to investigate any potential illegalities occuring because of Trump own the property, and it did not research key financial records to identify potential conflicts of interest or emoluments violations.
Less than a week after taking office, Trump held an Oval Office meeting with GSA Administrator Emily Murphy on January 24, 2018. The meeting was criticized when a photo of the meeting became public because the federal government was determining how to proceed with a new FBI office building; if it was moved and its current location turned over to a hotel interest, it would have significant impact on the Trump hotel’s business.