By Benson Daniel
US President Donald Trump gave $45,000 cash holiday gifts to three of his closest White House aides, according to newly released financial disclosure forms.
The recipients were executive assistant Natalie Harp, communications adviser Margo Martin and deputy director of Oval Office operations Chamberlain Harris. Each reported receiving the same $45,000 payment, described in the disclosures as a cash gift for the holidays.
Trump also gave $20,000 to Walt Nauta, the director of Oval Office operations.
The three aides who received $45,000 each earn about $150,000 annually from their government positions, meaning the cash gifts were equivalent to roughly 30 per cent of their annual salaries. Nauta, whose salary is listed at $175,000, received a smaller but still substantial payment.
The gifts have attracted attention because of the close working relationships between Trump and the recipients, particularly Harp, who is frequently seen alongside the president and is known for carrying a portable printer to provide him with printed news reports, social media posts and other material.
Martin, one of Trump’s communications advisers, also works closely with the president and frequently travels with him while documenting his activities for social media.
Harris serves as an executive assistant and deputy director of Oval Office operations. Trump also appointed her to the US Commission of Fine Arts, a federal body involved in reviewing architectural and design matters in Washington.
Nauta, meanwhile, has worked closely with Trump for years, first serving as his White House valet and later taking on a senior role overseeing operations around the Oval Office.
The disclosures have prompted questions over whether such large personal payments to government employees could create ethical concerns, particularly because the recipients work directly for the president.
The White House has defended the payments, saying Trump has a longstanding practice of giving Christmas gifts to people in his orbit, including employees and aides, both in government and during his time in private business.
Officials have maintained that the gifts were personal and were not connected to the recipients’ official government responsibilities.
However, government ethics experts have raised questions about the unusual size of the payments and whether large cash gifts from a superior to government employees could create concerns about influence, obligation or the supplementation of federal salaries.
The issue has drawn particular attention because there are few known examples of US presidents providing government employees with cash gifts of this magnitude.
The financial disclosures provide a public record of the payments and have brought renewed scrutiny to Trump’s close relationships with members of his inner circle.
The controversy also comes as Harp has faced increasing public attention because of her unusually close proximity to the president and her prominent role in his daily operations.
For now, the White House maintains that the payments were personal holiday gifts and had no connection to the aides’ official duties.
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