Trump Establishments Were Closed, But They Billed The Federal Government Anyway

President Trump’s luxury properties have charged the U.S. government more than $1.1 million since Trump took office, which includes room rentals at his Bedminster, New Jersey, club this spring while it was closed for the coronavirus pandemic, The Washington Post reported.

Records show Trump’s club charged the Secret Service more than $21,800 to rent a cottage and various rooms while the club was closed and off-limits to guests during the spring. The Secret Service paid rent more than 200 days when Trump was not there, the Post reported.

Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka, visited the Bedminster club in April to celebrate Passover, a period that overlaps with several of the largest Secret Service charges, The New York Times reported.

When Trump and his family members visit Trump properties, aides and Secret Service agents follow. When federal employees rent rooms, Trump’s businesses get the revenue leaving taxpayers paying the bulk of the bill, the Post reported.

The bills are usually paid without public disclosure. The government has not disclosed how much it has paid the Trump Organization in total.

Before he took office, Trump said he would isolate himself from his businesses but instead has visited his properties 274 times in addition to promoting them on Twitter. He briefly choosing one of them to host the Group of Seven world leaders before an outcry forced him to move the summit it to Camp David.

Last year, Eric Trump, who runs the Trump properties day-to-day, sought to tamp down concerns about the payments by saying the company charged the government only nominal fees. But the organization has charged as much as $650 per night, and sometimes tacked on additional charges beyond the room rate.

Agents guarding Vice President Mike Pence were charged $29-per-night for “resort fees” at Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas. In Scotland, Trump’s Turnberry resort once charged the Secret Service $1,300 to move furniture, the Post reported.

Other records show Trump's Bedminster club charged the Secret Service $17,000 a month — or $567 per night — to rent the three-bedroom “Sarazen Cottage” near Trump’s own villa.

A former Trump administration official told the Post the Secret Service rented rooms at Bedminster for a six-month stretch because Trump did not announce his travel schedule far enough in advance.

If Trump suddenly decided to go to Bedminster in May, the Secret Service wanted to be ready. There are few hotels near the club, the former official said, so it was vital to have a space available for agents and equipment, the Post reported.