The U.S. Secret Service is paying a company owned by Donald Trump $1.6 million to have its agents accompany the Republican nominee on his private jet, Politico reported Thursday.
Though reimbursing the campaign for the cost of having agents travel with candidates is a longstanding practice, having that money go directly to the candidate is not. Because one of Trump’s companies, TAG Air, Inc., owns the plane he’s used on the campaign trail, the federal government’s reimbursement is effectively cycled back to him.
The Secret Service has reimbursed Hillary Clinton’s campaign $2.6 million for travel as well, according to Politico, but she has relied primarily on a private company called Executive Fliteways. The Clintons don’t have any ownership stake in the company, Politico reported.
Though Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks assured the news site that the Secret Service payments were made “in accordance with FEC guidelines,” they offer yet another example of Trump personally enriching himself from the 2016 race.
The GOP nominee’s campaign frequently hosts events at his own properties, rents campaign headquarters from his Trump Tower in Manhattan, and even buys Trump-branded bottled water and wine.
After reviewing the real estate mogul’s FEC records through the end of August, Politico determined that Trump has so far spent at least $8.2 million on his own businesses.
