President Trump’s private company arranged for the Secret Service to pay for rooms at his properties above government-approved rates at least 40 times, including two charges for more than $1,100 per room, per night, according to documents released by a congressional committee, the Associated Press reports. The Secret Service was charged room rates of more than $800 per night at least 11 times when agents stayed at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, the Trump hotel in Washington, D.C., and other properties, the House Oversight Committee said. It noted that Trump made over 500 trips to his properties while president. The “exorbitant” rates point to a possible “taxpayer-funded windfall for former President Trump’s struggling businesses,” wrote Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) to the Secret Service requesting more information.
The Trump Organization denied that the Secret Service charges were a problem and said it provided rooms and other services at cost, at big discounts or for free. “The Trump Family is likely the first family in American history to have not profited off of the United States government,” said Eric Trump. He added, “President Trump funded the vast majority of his campaign with hundreds of millions of dollars of his own money and turned away billions of dollars in real estate deals worldwide.” In total, the Trump Organization charged the agency responsible for protecting the president and his family at least $1.4 million, according to Secret Service records. The committee said the total bill was likely higher because the panel got records only through September 2021 and payments for trips abroad were not included.