White House defends Trump’s $45,000 gifts
The White House is defending holiday gifts from President Donald Trump to a number of his aides, including his executive assistant, Natalie Harp.
According to new financial disclosures, the president gave Harp $45,000, or about one-third of her annual salary. He gave the same amount to communications adviser Margo Martin and White House aide Chamberlain Harris, as well as $20,000 to Director of Oval Office Operations Walt Nauta.
The payments raise legal and ethical concerns. Federal employees generally can’t receive outside compensation for their work, and experts warn the payments could leave aides financially beholden to the president.
In a statement provided to the PBS News Hour, the White House says Trump has a “longstanding practice of giving such gifts,” adding that they are “entirely permissible under relevant legal and ethical standards.”
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