Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be speaking to paying customers at Donald Trump’s Washington, D.C. hotel. The Washington Post’s David Farenthold reports:
“The planned speeches suggest that President Trump and his Cabinet are not shying away from events that drive revenue to Trump’s company, even after multiple stories have brought new scrutiny to the blurring of lines between Trump’s business and presidency.“
The separate events to a non-profit conservative group – Pence speaks on Thursday, Pompeo on Friday – will further blur the lines between Donald Trump’s business and his role in government. The Post writes:
“Pompeo and Pence visit the hotel at a time when Trump and his administration seem to be giving up on a bedrock promise of his presidency: that he would never use his public power to boost his private business.“
In just the last few weeks:
- Trump has talked of hosting the next G7 summit at his resort in Miami
- Pence has stayed two nights in Trumps Doonbeg resort in Ireland, commuting across the country for business meetings in Dublin
- Attorney General Bill Barr booked a $30,000 holiday party at Trump’s D.C. hotel
Walter Schaub, a former government ethics official told the Post:
“The administration is sweetening the pot for outside groups to rent space in Trump’s properties by offering up the vice president or the secretary of state. Or, in this case, both.”