Trump gives $45,000 holiday bonuses to three White House aides
Financial disclosures show that three senior White House aides each received a $45,000 holiday payment, raising concerns about compliance with federal ethics law
US President Donald Trump gave $45,000 bonuses to each of three White House employees last Christmas, including senior aide Natalie Harp, according to financial disclosures released by the administration.
The payments were described as “cash gifts for the holidays.”
The bonuses were also awarded to Margo Martin, a 31-year-old communications adviser who helps document the president’s daily activities for social media, and Chamberlain Harris, a 26-year-old White House aide who serves as Trump’s administrative assistant.
Each payment was equivalent to nearly one-third of the recipient’s annual White House salary of $150,000, according to an annual report submitted to Congress.
Richard Painter, a former chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush and a prominent Trump critic, said the payments appeared to violate federal law prohibiting outside sources from supplementing the salaries of government employees.