Timesof24
Two presents given to former US president Donald Trump and his household by overseas nations have been reported lacking, whereas greater than 100 overseas presents, together with these from India, price a complete of practically $300,000 weren’t disclosed to the State Division in violation of federal regulation, in line with Washington Submit report on findings by a authorities probe on Friday.
A 15-page report investigation into Trump’s failure to reveal presents from overseas authorities officers whereas in workplace by the Home Oversight Committee discovered that the Trump household didn’t report dozens of presents from international locations that aren’t US allies or have a “difficult relationship” with Washington. “That features 16 presents from Saudi Arabia price greater than $48,000, 17 presents from India price over $17,000, and not less than 5 presents from China. Trump reported zero presents completely the ultimate 12 months of his presidency, in line with the report, whereas he reported among the presents obtained in earlier years,” the Washington Submit report famous.
The 2 lacking presents are a life-size portray of Trump from the president of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele forward of the 2020 election and golf golf equipment price greater than $7,000 that Trump obtained from Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe throughout visits to the Trump Worldwide Golf Membership and Kasumigaeski Nation Membership in 2017 and 2018.
Particulars of the portray have been present in an electronic mail by US Ambassador to El Salvador Ronald Johnson to Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner’s assistant, Avi Berkowitz.
The newspaper, citing former chief of employees John F Kelly and different aides, said that Trump advised advisers that the presents given to him through the presidency have been his and didn’t belong to the federal authorities.
The 100 presents recognized by the Home Oversight Committee are actually within the custody of the Nationwide Archives or the federal authorities.
It’s unclear whether or not the committee will make a prison referral to the Division of Justice concerning the findings because the investigation was primarily based on a overview of presidential data and people not memorialized in written communications citing sources.
Congressman Jamie Raskin stated it’s probably that the variety of presents could possibly be much more, provided that none of them was reported. “We’ve been capable of piece all of this collectively by unbiased sources, however there could possibly be much more provided that none of those presents has been reported, and we’ve solely discovered about them by completely different sorts of investigative work and accidents,” he stated.
‘Results on US Overseas Coverage’
The report has raised issues over whether or not overseas governments used the unreported presents to affect US coverage positions towards these international locations.
The Submit report stated Raskin issued a letter to the State Division on Friday, requesting paperwork and communications associated to overseas presents and Trump and his household, together with “any references to results on US overseas coverage.”
The White Home Presents Unit is chargeable for recording all home and overseas presents and their valuation that the president and first household obtain. A present could be retained with the choice of paying full worth underneath the Overseas Presents and Decorations Act. The 1966 regulation prohibits officers from personally maintaining presents from overseas entities price greater than $415.
Whereas data of the annual listing of all presents from a overseas authorities to a federal worker are printed by the State Division, in 2021, White Home officers failed to offer an inventory of overseas presents Trump obtained earlier than leaving workplace. The division didn’t have the required knowledge to compile an entire 2020 report.
Discrepancies in Accounting of Presents
The report additionally discovered discrepancies within the formal accounting of presents, together with the Trump household receiving ten presents from Saudi Arabia in 2017, two presents from the nation in 2018, zero presents in 2019 and one reward in 2020. In its probe, the committee recognized 16 further presents from Saudi Arabia that had not been reported, price greater than $45,000 in complete.
It additionally discovered Jared Kushner bought and retained 5 presents from the Saudis, together with a $24,000 dagger and sheath given to him by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and two sword units price $8,800.
Whereas there are not any paperwork on Trump buying any of the overseas presents on document, his different relations had legally bought presents. First girl Melania Trump sought to “recall from NARA diamond earrings given by the Czech Republic, valued at $470, however needed to keep away from public disclosure of the merchandise,” the report said.
Trump’s first daughter Ivanka Trump additionally obtained presents reminiscent of a mosaic portrait of her in mother-of-pearl from Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas in 2017 and a $2,450 chunky gold bracelet from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2020, it learn.
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