A Foreign Government Reportedly Booked Trump Hotel Rooms That Were Never Used

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 11:  The Trump International Hotel located at 1100 Pennsylvania Ave, NW. The building that was the Old Post office and Clock Tower was completed in 1899 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  (Photo by Jonathan Newton / The Washington Post)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 11: The Trump International Hotel located at 1100 Pennsylvania Ave, NW. The building that was the Old Post office and Clock Tower was completed in 1899 and is listed on the National Register of... WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 11: The Trump International Hotel located at 1100 Pennsylvania Ave, NW. The building that was the Old Post office and Clock Tower was completed in 1899 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (Photo by Jonathan Newton / The Washington Post via Getty Images) MORE LESS
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A foreign government and a trade group reportedly booked a large number of rooms at Trump hotels that they never used, prompting an investigation into “pay to play” concerns from the House Oversight Committee.

Politico first reported the investigation on Wednesday. Committee member Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) confirmed the probe to the publication.

Connolly didn’t have specific details on the allegations, but an unnamed source told Politico the investigation began after the committee learned that an unnamed foreign government, as well as an unnamed trade association, booked large numbers of rooms in Trump’s hotels but only stayed in only a few of them.

“Now we’re looking at near raw bribery,” Connolly told Politico. “That was the risk from day one — foreign governments and others trying to seek favor because we know Trump pays attention to this…. It’s an obvious attempt to curry favor with him.”

News of this possible attempt to curry favor with the President follows the revelation that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned Trump’s hotel in a call with Trump earlier this year.

In a memorandum of a July phone call between President Trump and Zelensky released recently by the White House, Zelensky noted that he stayed in Trump Tower during his last trip to the United States — a particularly frank form of flattery and, it appears, the first time a world leader was quoted telling the President about staying at one of his properties.

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  1. Let’s crowdfund an effort to get Carter his peanut farm back.

  2. Go Gerry!

  3. That “Foreign Government” was Saudi Arabia.

    Rumor has it that they booked over 1500 rooms at various hotels and golf courses that were never used. They also own an ENTIRE FLOOR of Trump Tower in NYC that they rarely use for anything.

  4. I guess someone told them about the bedbugs AFTER they already rented the rooms. And they knew they were never going to get their money back from that tight-fisted Fat Ass.

    But then, of course, it could just be blatant corruption. But who am I to point a finger at anyone? I’ve committed corrupt acts like this…never.

  5. Donald J. Trump and immediate family, AKA Grifters-in-Chief.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

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