Mr. Trump’s company said that it voluntarily did not solicit business from foreign embassies, given the potential accusations of influence peddling. Mr. Trump also donated profits received from visits by foreign government officials, including those from Saudi Arabia, to the Treasury Department. Even as the hospitality industry has recovered, Mr. Trump’s departure from Washington sucked some of the energy out of the property. The political operations run by Mr. Trump and his family, as well as the Republican National Committee, also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at the hotel, as it became a frequent spot for fund-raising events. In total, more than $3 million in payments from political committees came in since early 2020 to the Washington hotel, Federal Election Commission records show.

Source: International New York Times November 15, 2021 07:22 UTC