News

Ivanka Trump Involved In Negotiations For Trump Washington Hotel Rentals During Scandal-Plagued Inauguration

Last week, it was revealed that President Donald Trump‘s inaugural committee misspent over $100 million in donations allegedly made by foreign donors, and now a new name has emerged in the scandal’s investigation: Ivanka Trump. 

According to ProPublica — which cited interviews and internal emails — the inauguration paid the Trump Organization “for rooms, meals and event space at the company’s Washington hotel.”

Ivanka, the president’s daughter and senior adviser, is also a senior executive at the Trump Organization who was involved in negotiating the rates Trump’s Washington hotel charged her father’s inaugural committee for renting venues.

Should the Trump hotel be charged more than the venues’ going rates, a tax law violation could arise. Given that the inaugural committee reportedly registered as a nonprofit, any potential acceptance of foreign contributions could also violate federal law. Prosecutors are reportedly seeking to determine if any of the alleged foreign donors come from Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

SLIDESHOW: DONALD TRUMP’S 30 CRAZIEST TWEETS

ProPublica reported that Peter Mirijanian, a spokesman for Ivanka Trump’s ethics attorney stated: “When contacted by someone working on the inauguration, Ms. Trump passed the inquiry on to a hotel official and said only that any resulting discussions should be at a ‘fair market rate.’ Ms. Trump was not involved in any additional discussions.”

Mirijanian did not offer evidence to support his claim about the first daughter.

The $107 million raised for Trump’s January 2017 inauguration reportedly represents nearly twice the cost of Barack Obama‘s 2009 inauguration.

Among the big-name donors who contributed to Trump’s inauguration are billionaire Sheldon AdelsonAT&T and Boeing.

Emails reveal Ivanka connected Rick Gates — who leading up to Trump’s inauguration was the inaugural committee’s deputy chairman — with Mickael Damelincourt, the Trump Washington hotel’s managing director in order to solve a dispute over venue prices.

Another person involved in the inauguration planning was Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former adviser to Melania TrumpAn FBI raid of Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen‘s home and office in April uncovered documents that included a recorded conversation between Wolkoff and Cohen in which the latter voiced concern over the inaugural committee’s spending practices.

This is the latest in many controversies over which Trump, his family and his businesses are being investigated. Ivanka herself is already facing scrutiny for her use of private email during her time thus far in the White House, an action that has drawn comparisons to Hillary Clinton‘s use of private email during her 2016 campaign.

 

Pablo Mena

Writer for upolitics.com. NY Giants and Rangers fan. Film and TV enthusiast (especially Harry Potter and The Office) and lover of foreign languages and cultures.

Recent Posts

Democrats Attack Green Party Nominee Jill Stein In New Ad

A new ad about Green Party candidate Jill Stein has been released by Vice President Kamala Harris'…

15 hours ago

Jennifer Lopez Says Trump ‘Offended Every Latino In The Country’ With MSG Joke At Harris Rally

https://youtu.be/inbJpo6D4BQ Jennifer Lopez, campaigning with Kamala Harris on Oct. 31 in Nevada, said Donald Trump’s…

15 hours ago

Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn Says ‘Gates Of Hell’ Will Be Opened On Opponents If Trump Is Reelected

Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn declared that the "gates of hell" would be unleashed if former…

2 days ago

VIDEO: Kamala Harris Hugs First Person In Line For Her Ellipse Rally, Chats With Her Mom

https://youtu.be/JQCdk-71tG0 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris met with the woman who was the first in…

2 days ago

VIDEO: Harris Vows To Put ‘Country Above Party’ In Front Of 75,000 People At The Ellipse

https://youtu.be/xc72fdqkaVc Vice President Kamala Harris vowed to put “country above party and above self” as…

3 days ago

Trump-Friendly Judge Aileen Cannon In The Running For Attorney General If Former President Wins Second Term

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has reportedly been placed on a list of potential attorney general candidates…

3 days ago