Trump made Secret Service spend over $200,000 in tax dollars at his hotel

The Secret Service had to spend $215,254 in tax dollars at Trump’s Washington, D.C., hotel in his first year, an NBC News report revealed on Thursday.

The details of yet another corrupt Trump-related transaction came from Secret Service documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The hotel, located just 0.3 miles from the White House, has become a corruption hub for Trump, attracting spending from foreign interests, lobbyists, and the Republican Party. Because Trump has not divested his holdings, money spent at the hotel goes into Trump’s personal accounts.

When Trump has events at the hotel, like fundraisers for the Republican Party and his reelection campaign, he requires Secret Service services and protection.

His decision to do business at the hotel forces taxpayers to send money Trump’s way.

The massive spending included $30,000 paid from the agency for two days of use of the Trump International Hotel. That was connected to Trump’s first reelection campaign fundraiser, where guests paid $35,000 a plate.

“Trump’s decision to patronize his own property while holding office has raised red flags not just around an ethical conflict of interest, but also what some say is a violation of the Constitution’s emoluments clause, which bars federal officials from accepting benefits from foreign or state governments without congressional approval,” NBC reported.

A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that a lawsuit from nearly 200 congressional Democrats against Trump alleging he has violated the emoluments clause can continue.

“For more than two years, President Trump has thumbed his nose at the American people in flagrant violation of the law,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said in a statement praising the decision.

Trump is also being sued by attorneys general in Washington, D.C., and Maryland for breaking the law with his corrupt practices.

The Secret Service spending shows that Trump’s corrupt practices began almost immediately as he was sworn into the presidency. He enriches himself at taxpayer expense, casually mingling corruption with his private interests — and he only has to go five blocks to do it.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.