Trump has charged Secret Service more than $40K in Mar-a-Lago space since leaving office: report
Former President Trump has charged Secret Service more than $40,000 for space at Mar-a-Lago since leaving office for a security detail intended to protect Trump, The Washington Post reported on Friday.
The Post obtained federal spending records via a public records request from Secret Service up to April 30.
According to those records, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago charged Secret Service $396.15 every night starting Jan. 20, when he left office and moved into the club full time. The charges continued through at least April 30, costing a total of $40,011.15.
One person familiar with the payments told the Post that the charges were for a single room that Secret Service agents used as a workspace.
While former presidents get Secret Service protection for life, the newspaper noted that it was unusual for a sitting president or a former one to charge Secret Service rent on this scale.
The rate is the same that Trump charged the Secret Service while he was president. While agents rented fewer rooms at a time this spring than they did during his presidency, the costs added up because Trump was at Mar-a-Lago every night, the Post noted.
The former president moved to his club in Bedminster, N.J., for the summer, according to the Post. It’s unclear whether the charges continued through May.
Trump charged the U.S. government more than $2.5 million while he was in office, the Post noted, mainly so that Secret Service agents could use rooms near him.
The Trump Organization didn’t return the Post’s request for comment. Representatives for Trump and the Secret Service declined to comment.
The Hill has reached out to Trump, the Trump Organization and the Secret Service for comment.
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