Trump Charged Secret Service Nearly $10,200 for Guest Rooms Used by His Protective Detail

Former President Donald Trump has charged the Secret Service nearly $10,200 for guest rooms used by his protective detail, according to spending records released by the Secret Service in response to a public-records request from The Washington Post.

“The Secret Service released a bill it paid to Trump Bedminster in May, totaling $10,199.52. The agency redacted the nightly rate, but the dollar amount itself offered a clue: The bill was an exact multiple of what Trump Bedminster charged the Secret Service while Trump was still in office: $566.64 per night for a four-bedroom “cottage” on the property,” the outlet reported.

The agency also released another document, a “hotel request” form, that covers the period between May 28 and July 1. The document shows that Secret Service agents planned to rent rooms at Trump Bedminster through at least the start of July. Another document showing $3,400 in charges before Trump arrived at Bedminster showing $3,400 in charges does not say why the Secret Service was at the club.

A previous Washington Post analysis of federal spending records found that Trump’s company charged the government more than $2.5 million during his presidency.

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Last year,  a report from watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) found that the Trump family took more trips in the last fiscal year that required protection from the Secret Service than the Obama family took in seven.

“On average, Obama’s family took 133.3 protected trips per year, while the Trump family has taken an average of 1,625 annually,” CREW observes, citing a budget document from the Treasury Department.

“On average, Obama’s family took 133.3 protected trips per year, while the Trump family has taken an average of 1,625 annually,” CREW notes. “Much of the Trump family’s known travel has been to promote Trump Organization businesses, which President Trump still owns and profits from. Every President and his family deserve Secret Service protection. But the President’s private business should reimburse taxpayers for money spent at Trump’s businesses or in support of them.”

Alan Herrera

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.