Watchdog: Foreign regimes, others spend big at Trump properties to curry favor
WASHINGTON — Four foreign governments, 16 special interest groups and 35 Republican congressional campaign committees spent money at Trump properties in 2017, according to data compiled by the government watchdog group Public Citizen.
A lawyer for President-elect Donald Trump outlined a plan during the presidential transition that was meant to resolve concerns about conflicts of interest between his presidency and his businesses. But in a report called "Presidency for Sale," Public Citizen found that Trump properties in Washington, Florida and elsewhere seem to have benefited from Trump's election as groups with something to gain from U.S. policy have paid to stay or dine there more than 60 times.
"There is no way to escape the conclusion that these events are being held at the Trump properties as a way to curry favor with the president," said Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen. "It's just extraordinarily unlikely that these groups have an affinity for the Trump brand [that's] so great [that's] unrelated to the fact that the president happens to be named Trump."
The biggest spender was a key Middle East ally, Saudi Arabia. A public relations firm spent $270,000 on behalf of the Saudi government at the Trump International Hotel in D.C. on an undisclosed date, the report said, citing public documents and a USA Today article.
Weissman said he believed that the Saudi effort to curry favor with the Trump administration "stands out above all."
Said Weissman, "The Saudis … have been undertaking a full-fledged effort to seduce Trump and those close to him. In that light, the event at the Trump property looks even worse, and more corrupting."
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/watchdog-foreign-regimes-others-spend-big-trump-properties-curry-favor-n837851
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