News
March 29, 2017

Call for GSA Inspector General to Review Trump Hotel Lease Decision

American Oversight joined a number of other non-profit organizations and individuals to send a letter to the Inspector General of the General Services Administration (GSA) – the federal agency which oversees government buildings – regarding the lease of the Old Post Office Building in Washington, D.C. to the Trump Hotel.

On Wednesday, March 29, American Oversight joined a number of other non-profit organizations and individuals to send a letter to the Inspector General of the General Services Administration (GSA) – the federal agency which oversees government buildings – regarding the lease of the Old Post Office Building in Washington, D.C. to the Trump Hotel.

The letter asks the Inspector General to review a recent decision by the GSA which found that the Trump Hotel is in full compliance with its lease for the Old Post Office Building, despite the fact that the lease terms clearly prohibit elected officials from leasing the building or benefiting from the lease.

President Trump has refused to divest his conflicts of interest and still owns the hotel. Enhancing his business and hotel will provide a clear benefit to President Trump, and the arrangement does not deny him this financial benefit.

Moreover, by allowing President Trump to effectively act as both landlord and tenant, this arrangement creates both the appearance, and very real risk, of favoritism and preferential treatment to the detriment of taxpayers.

Preventing conflicts of interest is imperative to ensuring that taxpayer-owned buildings are not used to inappropriately provide private benefits to government officials at the public’s expense.

The full text of the letter is below.

Letter to GSA Inspector General Regarding Trump Old Post Office Hotel by American Oversight on Scribd