By M. Abubakar
Financial Disclosures Reveal Presidential Payments
President Donald Trump gave $45,000 cash gifts to executive assistant Natalie Harp and two other female aides, according to annual executive branch financial disclosure statements first reported by The Washington Post.
The disclosures list the funds as a “cash gift for the holidays”. In addition to Harp, the recipients include:
- Chamberlain Harris: Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations
- Margo Martin: Communications Adviser
All three aides earn an annual salary of $150,000 paid by taxpayers, making the gifts equivalent to nearly one-third of their yearly compensation. Longtime aide Walt Nauta—who previously faced charges in Trump’s classified documents case before it was dropped—also disclosed a $20,000 holiday gift from the president.
The White House Response
In a statement addressing the payments, a White House official defended the legality and ethics of the gifts:
“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 gifts at issue here have nothing to do with any of these individuals’ official government duties, and, therefore, are entirely permissible under relevant legal and ethical standards.”
Sources: AP via WAGM, La Nacion.
