Secret Service has paid rates as high as $650 a night for rooms at Trump's properties

[Dennis Donovan]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/secret-service-has-paid-rates-as-high-as-650-a-night-for-rooms-at-trumps-properties/2020/02/06/7f27a7c6-3ec5-11ea-8872-5df698785a4e_story.html

By David A. Fahrenthold, Jonathan O'Connell, Carol D. Leonnig and Josh Dawsey

Feb. 7, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. EST

President Trump’s company charges the Secret Service for the rooms agents use while protecting him at his luxury properties — billing U.S. taxpayers at rates as high as $650 per night, according to federal records and people who have seen receipts.

Those charges, compiled here for the first time, show that Trump has an unprecedented — and largely hidden — business relationship with his own government. When Trump visits his clubs in Palm Beach, Fla., and Bedminster, N.J., the service needs space to post guards and store equipment.

Trump’s company says it charges only minimal fees. But Secret Service records do not show that.

At Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, the Secret Service was charged the $650 rate dozens of times in 2017, and a different rate, $396.15, dozens more times in 2018, according to documents from Trump’s visits.

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[smirkymonkey]

1. K&R

Nothing but a corrupt, greedy grifter!

[underpants]

2. Uh. Shouldn't they pay at the GSA rate?

Unless Trump signed a waiver of some kind.

[Buns_of_Fire]

3. At least he isn't charging them extra for the bedbugs. nt

[Docreed2003]

4. If he's staying at his own place

Why the hell should secret service be forced to pay at all??

[tanyev]

5. You'd think the agency putting their lives on the line to protect his worthless hide

would qualify for some sort of discount.

[struggle4progress]

6. Gold diggers

[Retrograde]

7. If you're gonna grift, grift big (n/t)