Washington.- U.S. President Donald Trump gave cash gifts totaling $135,000 to three of his closest aides at the White House, according to the officials’ financial disclosures, which raised questions among ethics experts regarding the legality of those payments.
Natalie Harp, Margo Martin, and Chamberlain Harris, three young advisors with regular access to the president, stated that they each received $45,000 from Trump as a “holiday cash gift,” according to investigations by media outlets such as the Washington Post and Politico.
The amounts are equivalent to approximately 30% of the $150,000 that each one receives annually for their positions at the White House, according to documents released by local media.
The financial statements, released by the Administration last week, identify Trump as the source of the payments.
Harp, 35, is the best-known of the three, as she became the subject of a viral controversy after Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff made a comment about the close relationship between the two, sparking criticism from the president’s allies and a widespread discussion on social media and in the news.
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For her part, Martin, 31, is a communications advisor and often accompanies Trump to record content for his social media, while Harris, 26, is an executive assistant to the president.
The payments have sparked controversy because federal law dictates clear prohibitions on supplementary payments to the salaries of public employees.
According to the Washington Post, Trump also gave $20,000 to Walt Nauta, the Oval Office operations director, according to his financial disclosure.
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Nauta, who earns an annual salary of $175,000, was Trump’s personal aide during his first term and is one of the collaborators who accompanied the president during a recent trip to Turkey related to a possible assassination threat.
Experts consulted by the Post noted that they do not recall other public cases in which a U.S. president has handed over similar amounts of cash to White House employees.
