In a continuation of his entanglement of private business and public office, President Donald Trump offers his staffers discounts at the pro shop at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf course when they show their Secret Service pins, according to a Monday Politico report.
Getting deals anywhere from 15 percent to 70 percent off, aides get the same discounts club members do.
Per Politico, the Office of Government Ethics mandates that federal officials cannot accept gifts worth more than $20. The golf club discount would be considered a gift, since it is not available to all government employees.
Norm Eisen, ethics czar during the Obama administration, told Politico that Trump’s discounts are unpatriotic.
“It does have an effect on how Trump tries to secure personal loyalty and woo people away from what should be their primary and their only loyalty — to the Constitution, to public service and to the people of the United States,” he said. “This is another small inducement, apparently contrary to federal law, that he uses to bind his staff to him personally.”
