The Government Lease Beneath the Trump D.C. Hotel
What happened
promisedocumented At Trump's January 2017 press conference, counsel for the Trump Organization said the arrangement would isolate him from the business, bar new foreign deals and donate foreign-government hotel profits to the Treasury.
- Time: Read a Transcript of Donald Trump's Press Conference on Conflicts of Interest2017-01-11 · Sheri Dillon remarks: no new foreign deals, limited information rights, compliance counsel, and donation of foreign-government hotel profits
- U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Oversight Committee Requests Documents on Trump Organization's Treatment of Foreign Government Payments2017-04-21 · Bipartisan committee letter describing the January pledge and requesting implementation records
actiondocumented GSA issued an estoppel certificate allowing the lease to continue under a revised operating arrangement after Trump took office.
- General Services Administration Office of Inspector General: Evaluation of GSA's Management and Administration of the Old Post Office Building Lease2019-01-16 · Executive summary and findings on GSA's post-election constitutional review
outcomedocumented GSA's inspector general found that the agency improperly ignored constitutional issues in its lease analysis.
- CBS News: Federal agency ignored constitutional concerns in Trump hotel lease, report finds2019-01-16 · OIG findings and scope limitation
- General Services Administration Office of Inspector General: Evaluation of GSA's Management and Administration of the Old Post Office Building Lease2019-01-16 · Executive summary and findings on GSA's post-election constitutional review
limitationdocumented The OIG expressly did not determine whether Trump violated the Constitution or whether any violation breached the lease.
- General Services Administration Office of Inspector General: Evaluation of GSA's Management and Administration of the Old Post Office Building Lease2019-01-16 · Executive summary and findings on GSA's post-election constitutional review
People and organizations
- General Services Administrationaffected party
- Trump Old Post Office LLCbeneficiary
- General Services Administrationpayer
- Trump Old Post Office LLCrecipient
Assessment
The lease remained in place while Trump retained a beneficial interest, and the GSA inspector general found the agency's review improperly ignored constitutional questions; the report did not decide whether an Emoluments Clause violation occurred.