Five lawmakers sent a letter Monday to the inspector general at the Department of Homeland Security requesting a full report on the Secret Service costs to protect President Trump’s multiple properties.
Sens. Tom Udall, Richard Blumenthal, Sheldon Whitehouse and Gary Peters along with Rep. Elijah Cummings sent the letter in part to see whether the Secret Service can provide protection to Mr. Trump and his family while staying within mandated congressional spending limits.
“There is reason to believe that President Trump and his family’s use of multiple non-governmental properties, such as Trump Tower in New York, the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., and the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., may interfere with the Secret Service’s ability to protect the First Family while remaining in compliance with the act,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.
The Presidential Protection Assistance Act only allows for one nongovernmental property to be secured by the Secret Service. In a previous letter, Mr. Udall of New Mexico, Mr. Blumenthal of Connecticut and Mr. Whitehouse of Rhode Island asked how much the agency has spent on Mr. Trump’s protection.
The Secret Service responded to the previous letter that Trump Tower was Mr. Trump’s designated property to be secured, but also asked that his New Jersey and Florida properties receive protection as well, subject to the annual $200,000 limit allowed to be spent on nongovernmental property protection.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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