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orangecrush

(19,537 posts)
Mon Oct 4, 2021, 10:23 PM Oct 2021

Trump White House staffers ordered room service on the Saudi government's dime because they didn't k


Trump White House staffers on a trip to Saudi Arabia reportedly had rooms and meals covered by their hosts.
Most were unaware this was a violation of federal law, according to former White House aide Stephanie Grisham.
Grisham wrote that she heard Jared Kushner and his staff got "Rolex watches" and "ornamental swords."
See more stories on Insider's business page.

White House staffers may have violated federal law during President Donald Trump's 2017 trip to Saudi Arabia by illegally accepting and not declaring gifts from their hosts, former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham writes in her forthcoming memoir, an early copy of which was obtained by Insider.

"The rooms were paid for by the Saudi government," Grisham wrote, "and we were told we could order anything we wanted on the room service menu."

This would appear to run afoul of the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act, but as Grisham recalls, much of the staff on hand for the former president's first foreign trip were unaware of the basic protocol.

"It was the first and only time that happened, because we came to find out that it was against the rules," Grisham continued. "I don't know if the state department ended up paying for staff rooms, but I imagine they did."


Normally, US personnel are trained to remain vigilant about foreign gifts, and must report anything worth more than $415.



https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.businessinsider.com/trump-white-house-room-service-paid-for-by-saudi-arabia-2021-10%3famp
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Trump White House staffers ordered room service on the Saudi government's dime because they didn't k (Original Post) orangecrush Oct 2021 OP
They knew, they just didn't care. Thomas Hurt Oct 2021 #1
Exactly. orangecrush Oct 2021 #5
Including this woman jimfields33 Oct 2021 #6
This message was self-deleted by its author Chin music Oct 2021 #13
Did they turn the gifts in....or can we prosecute for felony charges on stealing from the USG? OAITW r.2.0 Oct 2021 #2
$415?.... Turbineguy Oct 2021 #3
... orangecrush Oct 2021 #4
Only if it's a quartz. Course even then it could have been one of the rsdsharp Oct 2021 #7
You know it's a fake, when is says Rollex! n/t aggiesal Oct 2021 #15
In Panama they used to sell Turbineguy Oct 2021 #24
$415? James48 Oct 2021 #8
Its $415 for foreign gifts. former9thward Oct 2021 #21
i don't believe they didn't know. barbtries Oct 2021 #9
They knew ... aggiesal Oct 2021 #16
How much was The Orb worth? lagomorph777 Oct 2021 #10
This message was self-deleted by its author Chin music Oct 2021 #14
Hahaha! lagomorph777 Oct 2021 #25
We sure she is not a Grey? Thomas Hurt Oct 2021 #26
If there are no repercussions, no investigations, no prosecutions... NullTuples Oct 2021 #11
How could they not know? ... aggiesal Oct 2021 #12
+1. Also $415 seems like a *lot* especially if you're getting gifts from multiple sources. meadowlander Oct 2021 #19
Its $415 for foreign gifts. former9thward Oct 2021 #22
All of that should have been explained to them. Ignorance is no excuse. appleannie1 Oct 2021 #17
Room service is room service. Not jewelry department. Smackdown2019 Oct 2021 #18
Jesus H., even I know that... SergeStorms Oct 2021 #20
These people... Snackshack Oct 2021 #23

jimfields33

(15,775 posts)
6. Including this woman
Mon Oct 4, 2021, 10:52 PM
Oct 2021

I bet she did exactly the same. I’m not sure why she’s called a press Secretary. She never held press conference. She made the easiest paycheck ever.

Response to jimfields33 (Reply #6)

OAITW r.2.0

(24,455 posts)
2. Did they turn the gifts in....or can we prosecute for felony charges on stealing from the USG?
Mon Oct 4, 2021, 10:27 PM
Oct 2021

What a fucking joke the Chamber of Commerce has become. A Republican owned business front.

Turbineguy

(37,319 posts)
3. $415?....
Mon Oct 4, 2021, 10:32 PM
Oct 2021

"OK, it was a fake Rolex!"

"You can tell by looking at the second sweep!"

"See? The gold case turns my wrist green!"

rsdsharp

(9,165 posts)
7. Only if it's a quartz. Course even then it could have been one of the
Mon Oct 4, 2021, 10:57 PM
Oct 2021

Oyster Quartz Rolex had for about 15 minutes in the 70s early 80s. But I doubt it.

Eric would have been mesmerized by the tick, tick, tick.

James48

(4,435 posts)
8. $415?
Mon Oct 4, 2021, 11:37 PM
Oct 2021

That’s incorrect. Regulations government wide are that anything over $20 FROM ANYONE must be refused, and acceptance of anything from a foreign source at all must be refused, unless approved by Congress.

former9thward

(31,984 posts)
21. Its $415 for foreign gifts.
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 01:05 AM
Oct 2021

Foreign Gifts
Minimal Value for Foreign Gifts: $415.00
Every three years, the GSA is required to revise this minimal value.

Specifically, 5 U.S.C. 7432 requires the Administrator of General Services, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to redefine every three years the definition for “minimal value” for a foreign gift, based on the changes in the consumer price index for the immediately preceding three years. The implementing regulation is 41 CFR 102-42, “Utilization, Donation, and Disposal of Foreign Gifts and Decorations.” The current minimal value of $415 was defined in Federal Management Regulation (FMR) Bulletin B-50 [PDF - 268 KB] Foreign Gift and Decoration Minimal Value, dated March 10, 2020.

https://www.gsa.gov/policy-regulations/policy/personal-property-management-policy/foreign-gifts

aggiesal

(8,911 posts)
16. They knew ...
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 12:15 AM
Oct 2021

In retrospect, if nothing happens to these grifters then the cost
of a Rolex is cheap compare to what was gifted to the Saudi's.

Response to lagomorph777 (Reply #10)

aggiesal

(8,911 posts)
12. How could they not know? ...
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 12:04 AM
Oct 2021

When I was working for a DOD Contractor, we couldn't offer a cup of coffee to our
visitors from any person on the federal governments dime, including the services.

Anyone who took a cup of coffee, would drop money into a money cup by the coffee machine.
Almost always 50 cents.

The grifters are getting Rolex watches and room service?
Wow!

Unfortunately, I don't think anything will happen.

meadowlander

(4,394 posts)
19. +1. Also $415 seems like a *lot* especially if you're getting gifts from multiple sources.
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 12:54 AM
Oct 2021

That adds up pretty fast.

Government jobs I've worked in the past the upper limit before you had to declare was more like $40-50 bucks and if you had to declare you might as well save your time filling in the paperwork because it was never going to get approved. Our team once had to declare a Christmas gift basket of crackers and cookies that couldn't have been more than $60-70 because it came from a contractor. HR rejected the request three days later but we'd already eaten it all by then. Well... there was no way to return it and it would have gone stale otherwise

The only way they "didn't know" is if they slept through induction and that's not a reasonable excuse for breaking the law.

Smackdown2019

(1,186 posts)
18. Room service is room service. Not jewelry department.
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 12:38 AM
Oct 2021

Common layman person would understand room service is someone cater to your room for meals or oddities for the room. Rolex watches or items that are not available at the local Walmart store are not room service items.

If such oddities were picked up, they must be returned back to the US Government. That's the law.

SergeStorms

(19,195 posts)
20. Jesus H., even I know that...
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 01:03 AM
Oct 2021

and my highest elected office was Student Council president in high school. Yeah, they didn't know. They were just letting everyone know the grift was on, and you could buy just about anything you wanted from the Trump maladministration.

Snackshack

(2,541 posts)
23. These people...
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 01:32 AM
Oct 2021

Looted everything they could from day 1 even the inauguration funds and nothing was or will ever be done about it.

There was a case that got to the Supreme Court about emoluments violations in 2020…but the Supreme Court dismissed it Jan 25 of this yr I believe. Their reason…trump was no longer president so it was a moot point…


https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/01/25/politics/emoluments-supreme-court-donald-trump-case/index.html

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