The family business · 2016 campaign · № 15
Lobbyists for Saudi Arabia spend about $270,000 at Trump's Washington hotel after the 2016 election
“Absolutely not. It had nothing to do with that. Not one bit” Michael Gibson, an organizer of the trips
- Date
- , Interview with The Washington Post; spending disclosed in a Foreign Agents Registration Act filing
- Subject
- Saudi Arabia
- Benefit
- Gifts and payments
- Government
- Saudi Arabia
- Beneficiary
- Donald Trump (Trump International Hotel, Washington)
- Amount
- $270,044
- Topic
- Ethics & conflicts
- Era
- 2016 campaign
What happened
Qorvis MSLGroup, a Washington firm that represents the Saudi government, reported in a Foreign Agents Registration Act filing for October 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017 that it paid the Trump International Hotel $190,272.87 for lodging, $78,204.02 for catering and $1,568 for parking. The Washington Post reported that the money housed six groups of military veterans who were flown to Washington to lobby against the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, that the bookings moved to Trump's hotel in December 2016, and that some veterans said they were not told of the Saudi role. Organizer Michael Gibson told the Post the hotel was chosen because it offered a discount and had rooms, not to curry favor with Trump; hotel executives said they were unaware at the time that Saudi Arabia was paying. Qorvis declined to comment and the Saudi Embassy did not respond to the Post. The attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia cited the payments in a lawsuit under the Constitution's emoluments clauses; ABC News reported that the Supreme Court dismissed the emoluments suits in 2021 because Trump was no longer in office. Freedom House rated Saudi Arabia Not Free in its 2016 and 2017 reports.
Sources
- Supplemental Statement Pursuant to the Foreign Agents Registration Act: MSLGROUP Americas, Inc. d/b/a Qorvis MSLGROUP, six month period ending 03/31/2017
- Saudi-funded lobbyist paid for 500 rooms at Trump's hotel after 2016 election
- 'I love the Saudis': Trump business ties to kingdom run deep
- White House for Sale: How Princes, Prime Ministers, and Premiers Paid Off President Trump
- Trump's businesses received millions from foreign entities during his presidency, House report says
- Country and Territory Ratings and Statuses, 1973-2024
- Saudi Arabia: Freedom in the World 2017 Country Report