The federal government ruled Thursday that President Trump’s five-star hotel in Washington doesn’t violate a lease that stipulates no government officials can profit from the property.
The ruling from the General Services Administration said in a letter to the Trump Organization that the president’s turning over management of Trump International Hotel to his children and not receive any profits put the company in “full compliance” of the lease.
The decision provided a ray of light on an otherwise cloudy day for the president, whose bill to repeal and replace Obamacare was in peril on Capitol Hill.
The ruling, however, outraged Democrats.
“GSA changed the position it held before President Trump took office,” fumed Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Rep. Peter DeFazio, ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, in a joint statement.
“This new interpretation renders this lease provision completely meaningless-any elected official can now defy the restriction by following this blueprint,” they said.
The lease for the Trump International Hotel, located just blocks from the White House, barred any federal official from participating in the project.
Mr. Trump began the project, which included a $200 million renovation of the building, years before his run for president. It opened shortly before he took office.
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