Tag: Trump hotel

Saudi-funded lobbyist paid for 500 rooms at Trump’s hotel after 2016 electio

Trump International Hotel in Washington. Credit: Astrid Riecken, The Washington Post

Lobbyists representing the Saudi government reserved blocks of rooms at President Trump’s Washington, D.C., hotel within a month of Trump’s election in 2016 — paying for an estimated 500 nights at the luxury hotel in just three months, according to organizers of the trips and documents obtained by The Washington Post.

At the time, these lobbyists were reserving large numbers of D.C.-area hotel rooms as part of an unorthodox campaign that offered U.S. military veterans a free trip to Washington — then sent them to Capitol Hill to lobby against a law the Saudis opposed, according to veterans and organizers.

At first, lobbyists for the Saudis put the veterans up in Northern Virginia. Then, in December 2016, they switched most of their business to the Trump International Hotel in downtown Washington. In all, the lobbyists spent more than $270,000 to house six groups of visiting veterans at the Trump hotel, which Trump still owns.

View the complete December 5 article by David Fahrenthold and Jonathan O’Connell on The Washington Post website here.

Want to Know More About … the Trump Hotel

Cynthia Mcfadden: “It’s The Money Spent By Foreign Governments That Have Ethics Watch Dogs Reeling.”

MCFADDEN: “It’s the money spent by foreign governments that have ethics watch dogs reeling. NBC news also reviewed thousands of registration forms for foreign agents. They show that lobbyists for Saudi Arabia spent $270,000 at the hotel. A few months later president trump took his first foreign trip there.” [Today, NBC, 8/8/18; VIDEO]

Cynthia Mcfadden: “NBC News Also Reviewed Thousands Of Pages Of Registration Forms For Foreign Agents. They Show That Lobbyists Working For Saudi Arabia Spent $270,000 At The Hotel. A Few Months Later President Trump Took His First Foreign Trip There.”

[Today, NBC, 8/8/18; VIDEO] Continue reading “Want to Know More About … the Trump Hotel”

At President Trump’s hotel in New York, revenue went up this spring — thanks to a visit from big-spending Saudis

The following article by David A. Fahrenthold and Jonathan O’Connell was posted on the Washington Post website August 3, 2018:

Trump International Hotel in Manhattan is the one remaining Trump-branded hotel in New York. Credit: Houdek Vladimir, AP

The general manager of the Trump International Hotel in Manhattan had a rare bit of good news to report to investors this spring: After two years of decline, revenue from room rentals went up 13 percent in the first three months of 2018.

What caused the uptick at President Trump’s flagship hotel in New York? One major factor: “a last-minute visit to New York by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia,” wrote general manager Prince A. Sanders in a May 15 letter, which was obtained by The Washington Post.

Neither Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman nor members of the royal family stayed at Trump’s hotel, Sanders said: He said the Trump hotel didn’t have suites big enough to accommodate them. But “due to our close industry relationships,” he wrote, “we were able to accommodate many of the accompanying travelers.”

View the complete article here.

In Ruling Against Trump, Judge Defines Anticorruption Clauses in Constitution for First Time

The following article by Sharon LaFraniere was posted on the New York Times website July 25, 2018:

Trump International Hotel in Washington. “The argument is that as president he is unduly attracting business,” the judge said of President Trump. “There is some evidence of that.” Credit: Alex Brandon/Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A lawsuit accusing President Trump of violating the Constitution by maintaining a financial interest in his company’s Washington hotel cleared a critical hurdle on Wednesday when a federal judge allowed the case to move forward.

In the first judicial opinion to define how the meaning of the Constitution’s anticorruption clauses should apply to a president, Judge Peter J. Messitte of the United States District Court in Greenbelt, Md., said the framers’ language should be broadly construed as an effort to protect against influence-peddling by state and foreign governments.

He ruled that the lawsuit should proceed to the evidence-gathering stage, which could clear the way for an examination of financial records that the president has consistently refused to disclose. The Justice Department is expected to forestall that by seeking an emergency stay and appealing the ruling.

View the complete article here.

Anti-sharia group offers donors a private tour and cocktails at Trump hotel

The following article by Amy Brittain and Abigail Hauslohner was posted on the Washington Post website June 20, 2017:

A controversial group that has held rallies against the spread of Islamic law is seeking to harness the allure of President Trump’s brand as it raises money for its upcoming Washington conference.

For $10,000, sponsors of the ACT for America gathering can enjoy “pre-conference cocktails” and a “private tour of the historic Trump International Hotel” alongside the group’s founder, Brigitte Gabriel, among other benefits, according to promotional materials published on the group’s website.

The walk through the hotel, in the stately Old Post Office Pavilion a few blocks from the White House, is scheduled to take place before participants head to Capitol Hill to hold lawmakers’ “feet to the fire” on national security issues, according to plans posted on the group’s website. The organization, which critics have decried as anti-Muslim, has repeatedly claimed that Judeo- Christian­ culture is under “assault” in America and that radical Islam is to blame.

The promotion represents a new twist in the story line of Trump’s luxury hotel, which has sparked several lawsuits and criticism from ethics experts alleging that the president is improperly profiting from foreign governments and other interest groups holding events at the property. Groups typically pay to book meeting space and food service at the Trump hotel like they would at any event venue, but ACT is touting the chance to enjoy access to a signature business owned by the president. Continue reading “Anti-sharia group offers donors a private tour and cocktails at Trump hotel”