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How Trump's inaugural committee spent the record $107 million worth of donations to celebrate his election
How Trump's inaugural committee spent the record $107 million worth of donations to celebrate his election
Sarah Gray,Sarah GrayJan 15, 2019, 13:11 IST
Drew Angerer/Getty
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President Donald Trump's inaugural committee raised the most of any previous administration: a whopping $107 million. For comparison, President Barack Obama's inaugural committee raised $53 million.
Nearly two years after Trump was sworn in, a new report from The New York Times details how some of that money was spent.
That's not the only scrutiny the committee is facing. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan and Brooklyn, are looking into whether there were any illegal foreign donations to the committee.
Here were the most surprising expenditures from the Trump inauguration committee, according to The Times' report.
President Donald Trump's inaugural committee raised the most of any newly elected president: a whopping $107 million. For comparison, President Barack Obama's inaugural committee raised $53 million.
Nearly two years after Trump was sworn in, a new report from The New York Times details how some of that money was spent. That's not the only scrutiny the committee is facing. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan and Brooklyn, are looking into whether there were any illegal foreign donations to the committee.
The Times notes, however, that a presidential inaugural committee can "for the most part" spend the money raised on what it likes. Despite this, Trump's spending surprised past planners for both Obama and former President George W. Bush. The newspaper describes the bulk of the spending as "mundane" - mostly going to hotels, vendors, and payroll, and $5 million to charity
Here are the most interesting expenditures from Trump's inauguration:
President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on January 20, 2017.
While the swearing-in ceremony and the luncheon that followed were paid for by Congress, the other events — concerts, balls, etc. — were paid for by Trump's presidential inaugural committee. Through interviews and documents obtained by The New York Times, reporters were able to get a sense of what the committee spent its money on for the inauguration.
Trump's committee was chaired by Thomas J. Barrack Jr.
In a statement to The Times, Barrack Jr. said, he continues "to be proud of the incredible work of all those that were part of the committee."
He added that the committee "complied with all laws and regulations, and its finances were fully audited internally and independently. The donors were fully vetted and disclosed to the Federal Election Commission as required."
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Jonathan Reynaga, and WIS Media Partners
Winston Wolkoff was a friend of First Lady Melania Trump. She and Jonathan Reynaga formed WIS Media Partners, which was in charge of broadcasting rights for the inaugural events and was initially going to make a documentary about the inauguration (which was later scrapped).
Winston Wolkoff had a contract for $1.6 and WIS Media Partners was paid nearly $26 million (which it used to pay vendors).
"I have never heard anybody getting that kind of fee associated with any inaugural, ever," Greg Jenkins, who oversaw Bush's second inauguration said of Winston Wolkoff's fee.
A spokesperson from WIS Media Partners told The Times its fees were "significantly below" the going rate for such events.
Expenses for WIS Media Partners employees totaled $227,511 for things like cabs, room service, etc.
The Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, billed more than $1.5 million for services — including renting out spaces like a ballroom. The Willard and the Fairmont hotels were also used, and they were paid equal that amount or more.
The WIS Media Partners spokesperson told The Times that their employees stayed at the hotel "at the explicit direction" of the committee, a claim that was disputed by the committee.
Reynaga spent $18,000 at the Trump International Hotel, according to The Times, and $31,000 on hotel rooms overall.
The New York-based party planner was paid $3.7 million (and refused to sign a contract), The Times reported. That money was paid out to subcontractors.
Monn spent $924,000 to amp up decorations for a candlelight dinner at Union Station.
Parscale served as the digitial media director for Trump's campaign. For the inauguration, his firm was contracted to produce digital advertisements for the inauguration. Parscale now serves as Trump's campaign manager for his 2020 reelection campaign.
Overall, a presidential inauguration is paid for through an amalgamation of private and public funds.
"In bureaucratic terms, the costs are shared by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, the Presidential Inaugural Committee, the federal government, and state and local governments," The New York Times explained in 2017.
The private money, footed by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, pays for the events — balls, concerts, dinners, etc. The bulk of Trump's inaugural committee money came from wealthy donors and corporations like Pfizer, Bank of America, and AT&T. The committee raised $107 million between Election Day and the inauguration. (Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn and Manhattan are reportedly looking into whether there were illegal donations made from foreign persons.)
The Joint Congressional Committee pays for and organizes the swearing in and the luncheon that follows; $1.25 million was appropriated by Congress for these events.
Security for the event is the biggest expense (could be more than $100 million), and the federal government pays for that.
