TRUMP BUSINESS: “The federal agency that had leased a prime property in Washington to the Trump Organization failed to grapple fully after the 2016 election with the politically fraught question of whether Donald J. Trump’s victory left the deal in violation of the Constitution, according to an inspector general’s report released on Wednesday [1-16-19]. The inspector general for the agency, the General Services Administration, found that its lawyers agreed that Mr. Trump’s election raised constitutional issues about the Trump Organization’s lease of the building on Pennsylvania Avenue, which was redeveloped as the Trump International Hotel. The lease was signed in 2013 and the hotel opened two weeks before the 2016 election. But rather than confront head-on after Election Day what to do about the issue — or seek the advice of the Justice Department — the agency ignored it, the report said. Essentially, the General Services Administration decided to ‘punt,’ the report said, quoting a senior agency lawyer, effectively clearing the way for Mr. Trump’s business to continue operating in the heart of the capital.”
–Sharon LaFraniere, “Agency Ignored Constitutional Questions About Trump Hotel Lease, Report Finds,” The New York Times online, January 16, 2019