White House aides report receiving $45,000 cash gifts from President Trump for holidays
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Three senior White House staff members disclosed receiving $45,000 each as holiday cash gifts from President Donald Trump, prompting legal questions about the propriety of such payments.
Three White House employees — special assistant Natalie Harp, communications adviser Margo Martin and executive assistant Chamberlain Harris — listed a $45,000 cash gift for the holidays in their recent financial disclosures, according to a report. Each staffer earns a $150,000 annual salary, making the gift roughly one-third of their yearly compensation. The White House press office said the president has a longstanding practice of giving holiday gifts to associates and that the payments are unrelated to official duties, asserting they comply with legal and ethical standards.
"The President has a longstanding practice of giving Christmas gifts to people in his orbit, including at times employees and aides, both in government and in his time in the private sector," the White House statement read.
Ethics experts disagree. Former White House ethics counsel Richard Painter argued the payments violate statutes that prohibit government employees from receiving extra cash from their supervisors, noting that both the giver and recipient could face penalties.
"A White House staffer is not your Fifth Avenue doorman. No tipping, and no holiday gifts from a current boss or former employer. The salary is what it is. Full stop," Painter wrote on social media.
The legality of the gifts remains unsettled, and any potential violations would be subject to a five-year statute of limitations.