‘Trump’s Washington hotel poses no conflict of interest’

WASHINGTON: The Trump International Hotel in Washington is not in violation of federal conflict-of-interest rules that bar elected officials from taking part in a lease of federal property, the US General Services Administration said on Thursday.

Critics argued that the luxury hotel housed in the historic Old Post Office a few blocks from the White House was a conflict of interest for Republican President Donald Trump because he is both landlord and tenant of the building. Lawyers for the hotel said the claim had no merit.

Democratic lawmakers asked the GSA, which oversees federal property, to clarify the status of the lease arrangement.

“We would like to thank the GSA for their diligent review of this matter,” Amanda Miller, a spokeswoman for the hotel, said in an email.

In January, Trump said he would maintain ownership of his global business empire, but hand control to his two oldest sons while president. His eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, subsequently took the reins of the Washington hotel.

In a letter from GSA contracting officer Kevin Terry to Donald Trump Jr, the agency said the issue had been resolved by the younger Trump taking over as head of the company that runs the hotel and by changes to its internal operating agreement.