The Trump
International Hotel in Washington is not in violation of federal
conflict-of-interest rules that bar elected officials from taking part in a
lease of federal property,
the U.S. General Services Administration said on
Thursday.
Critics argued
the luxury hotel housed in the historic Old Post Office a few blocks from the
White House was a conflict of interest for Republican President Donald Trump
because he is both landlord and tenant of the building. Lawyers for the hotel
said the claim had no merit.
Democratic
lawmakers asked the GSA, which oversees federal property, to clarify the status
of the lease arrangement.
In a letter
from GSA contracting officer Kevin Terry to the president's son Donald Trump
Jr., the GSA said the issue had been resolved by the younger Trump taking over
as head of the company that runs the hotel and by changes to its internal
operating agreement.
The agency
said the company, the Trump Old Post Office LLC, was in full compliance with
the section of the lease prohibiting elected federal officials from having any
part of it.
The hotel on
Pennsylvania Avenue has become a rallying point for anti-Trump protesters.
A Washington
restaurant sued Trump and Trump Old Post Office LLC this month, claiming
patrons had shifted business there to curry favor with his administration. A
Trump Organization attorney said the lawsuit lacked merit.
*REUTERS*
0 Comments