Donald Trump received special gifts from Saudi Arabia during his presidency. After his presidency comes the surprise.
Washington DC – Donald Trump had his own peculiarities as president and dealt with many things differently than his predecessors. This included his handling of gifts from and for heads of government in other countries, a normally highly regulated process designed to protect the integrity of governments. That is what a New York Times report suggests.
Donald Trump is given skins and ivory – but they are fakes
Donald Trump’s presidency began with an abundance of gifts that he is said to have received on his first trip abroad. These included three coats made from white tiger and cheetah skins and a dagger with an ivory handle.
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A White House attorney stated that possession of the pelts and dagger was illegal because the animals were considered endangered. Donald Trump kept the items anyway and did not properly declare them. On the last day of his presidency, he finally made them available to the authorities. During the investigation, the experts found that the gifts from Saudi Arabia were forgeries. “Wildlife inspectors and agents found that the lining of the robes was dyed to mimic tiger and cheetah patterns and that they were not protected species,” the New York Times quoted Home Office spokesman Tyler Cherry as saying.
Donald Trump: US government is investigating cases of missing gifts
The U.S. State Department is also investigating allegations that Donald Trump employees took away thousands of dollars’ worth of gift bags for foreign leaders at the planned 2020 G7 summit in Camp David, due to the coronavirus was canceled. In the pockets were leather folders, pewter trays, and marble jewelry boxes bought with US government money.
The State Department inspector general is also investigating the whereabouts of a $ 5,800 bottle of Japanese whiskey that was given to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. However, he claims never received it. A 22-carat gold coin that a State Department official received has also disappeared.
Donald and Melania Trump cannot be proven to have acted illegally
However, there is no evidence that Donald or his wife Melania Trump accepted gifts to which they were not entitled, writes the New York Times. Observers, however, see their handling of gifts as exemplary for the Trump administration in general. “Whether it is indifference, sloppiness or the big train robbery: It shows a carefree attitude towards the law and the regular processes in the government,” said the ethics expert and former attorney for the House of Representatives Stanley Brand.
When asked by the New York Times, the US State Department did not want to discuss details of the Trump administration’s handling of gifts, but said it took its role seriously in reporting certain gifts received from US government employees that it investigates the whereabouts of gifts and the circumstances that led to their disappearance. (Max Schäfer)
