Recent findings from a House oversight committee have revealed that former President Donald Trump significantly overcharged the Secret Service for accommodations at his hotels. According to a report released on October 18, 2024, the charges for Secret Service stays were up to 300% higher than what other guests, including foreign dignitaries, were billed.
The report, compiled by Democratic members of the House oversight committee, referred to documents obtained through subpoenas of the Mazars firm, Trump’s accounting firm. The investigation focused on guest logs from Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., spanning from September 2017 to August 2018.
Excessive Charges and Allegations
The committee described Trump’s presidency as “the world’s greatest get-rich-quick scheme,” highlighting the financial discrepancies between what the government paid and the rates charged to other patrons. The report indicated that the D.C. hotel “charged as much as 300% or more above the authorized government per diem” for Secret Service accommodations.
It was noted that Trump’s hotel did not just charge the Secret Service more than the government rate; it also charged them more than it did other guests, including members of foreign royal families and various business interests from China. Eric Trump has previously claimed that the Trump Organization allowed Secret Service agents to “stay at our properties for free.” However, the new report contradicts that statement, revealing that agents were charged “far in excess” of government-approved rates, even more than many other patrons.
Continuing Investigations
The current report builds on investigative efforts made when Democrats had control of the House oversight committee. After Republicans gained a majority in 2023, the new chairman, James Comer, ended ongoing lawsuits for records and halted new subpoenas. The recent findings rely on documents collected before this change in leadership.
Earlier reports from House Democrats indicated that Trump’s family-owned businesses received at least $7.8 million from 20 countries during his presidency. Notably, many Republican officials and appointed judges frequently utilized Trump International Hotel while visiting Washington, D.C.
Constitutional Concerns
Concerns surrounding Trump’s business dealings while in office tie back to the U.S. Constitution’s emoluments clause, which prohibits presidents from receiving payments from the federal government aside from their salary. Unlike previous presidents who divested from potentially conflicting business interests—like Jimmy Carter selling his peanut farm—Trump maintained ownership of his businesses. The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed cases against Trump for alleged violations of the emoluments clause in January 2021, citing that the issue was moot since he was no longer in office.
Despite disparaging the emoluments concerns, likening them to Barack Obama’s earnings from book sales, the implications of Trump’s hotel revenues remain substantial. Reports suggest that Trump’s hotel earned around $150 million during his presidency but faced net losses of approximately $70 million, largely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, Trump sold the lease on the 263-room hotel, housed in the historic Old Post Office building, to CGI Merchant Group, a Florida-based investment group. The hotel reopened under the Waldorf Astoria brand in June 2023, yet spending from Republican groups has sharply declined since the change.
