During recent protests against the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers Floyd, Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to guard his DC Hotel, but not nearby national monuments, raises concerns that Trump is once again grossly abusing his presidential power to benefit his personal business. 

CREW requested all communications between the National Guard, the White House and the Trump Organization mentioning Trump’s DC Hotel. Additionally, CREW requested all internal National Guard communications mentioning the hotel.

Amidst the backdrop of Trump’s violent response to the protests, from his deployment of the Park Police, Secret Service, and ICE and CBP officers to their use of pepper balls and tear gas against protesters, the president also appears to be privileging his own business with the protection of the National Guard. The public deserves to know the extent that Trump’s personal interests are improperly affecting the use of taxpayer resources and dollars. Given the over 3,000 conflicts of interest that Trump has accumulated throughout his presidency as a result of failing to divest from his businesses, this would be far from the first time that Trump’s business interests have affected his decision making. Taxpayers need to know the full extent of his self-dealing.

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