The U.S. military rents office space in Trump Tower for security operations around the president, but doesn’t pay the Trump Organization directly, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
The government entered an agreement to rent 3,475 square feet at Trump Tower for $130,000 per month, according to a Government Services Administration contract obtained by WSJ through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The government’s lease, worth $2.89 million, runs from April 11, 2017, to Sept. 30, 2018. The space, used by the military for support of the White House, is rented from someone unaffiliated with the Trump Organization, WSJ reports.
“To alleviate your principal concern (i.e. that the president of the United States might financially benefit from the lease effort), please know that this residential space is privately owned and that lease negotiations have been with the owner’s representatives only,” James MacStravic, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, said in a March 3 letter before the lease was signed.
“We are not aware of any means through which the president would personally benefit from a government lease of this space.”
The Trump re-election campaign also rents Trump Tower space, spending over $100,000 Trump products, services and properties in Washington, D.C., New York, and Las Vegas, according to federal campaign finance filings. (RELATED: Trump’s Re-Election Campaign Pouring Money Into Trump Businesses)
The most expensive Trump Tower apartment, listed in the spring of 2016, is a 3,725 square foot, three bedroom suite on the 62nd floor. The apartment listed for $50,000 a month unfurnished, and $60,000 furnished, according to Streeteasy.com.
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