Inaugural mystery: What happened to the surplus?
Few rules restrict use of funds, but officials are mum on the details
WASHINGTON – Nearly a year after President Trump’s inauguration, the committee that raised a record $ 106.7 million for the event has not disclosed how much surplus money it still has or provided a final accounting of its finances.
“We must decline comment at this time,” Kristin Celauro, a spokeswoman for the inaugural committee’s chairman, Thomas Barrack, said this week in response to a USA TODAY inquiry about the committee’s finances.
Barrack, a California investment manager and Trump friend, has said consistently that remaining funds would go to charity. He unveiled plans in September to give $ 3 million to three non- profits — The American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and Samaritan’s Purse — to help with hurricane relief and said the group planned more contributions “that serve America’s agenda.”
Officials with the American Red Cross and Samaritan’s Purse declined to comment, saying they do not disclose contributor information. The Salvation Army did not respond to an inquiry.
Presidential inaugural committees are private fundraising vehicles that pay for the festivities. Trump’s committee raised twice the $ 53.2 million President Obama collected for his first inauguration.
The record haul was fueled by big checks from individuals and companies — some with interests before the government.
While the committee must report names of donors who give at least $ 200, election law does not require an accounting of the spending. And there are few restrictions on how leftover funds are used.
Fred Wertheimer, of the Democracy 21 watchdog group, said the committee can’t legally convert any of the funds to personal use.
Steve Kerrigan, who served as chief of staff for Obama’s first inaugural committee and chairman for his second inauguration, said it was “entirely appropriate” to use surplus money for renovations to the White House.
Yet Kerrigan said it’s “shocking” that Trump’s team is not disclosing more information about how they are spending the record amount they collected.
“It is alarming that you would potentially have at least $ 50 million left over and no sense of how it was spent,” he said.