Trump Gave 3 White House Aides $45,000 Cash Gifts, Raising Ethics Questions
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 9
Trump Gave 3 White House Aides $45,000 Cash Gifts, Raising Ethics Questions
1 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 9
Summary
$45,000 cash gifts disclosed as “Cash Gift for Holidays” went from Trump to executive assistant Natalie Harp, communications adviser Margo Martin and aide Chamberlain Harris—about one-third of each woman’s $150,000 White House salary.
Federal ethics experts said the payments may violate a law barring outside supplementation of government salaries, though former Office of Government Ethics acting director Don Fox said the available facts do not make a violation certain.
A fourth aide, Oval Office operations director Walt Nauta, reported a $20,000 gift from Trump; all four recipients are longtime loyalists from Trump’s first term or his post-presidency Florida operation.
No comparable public examples of presidents giving subordinates cash on this scale were identified, and ethics specialists said such payments could leave staff feeling indebted even if prosecutors never pursue the case.