Trump gave aide Natalie Harp a $45,000 holiday cash gift, disclosure shows

Federal employees are mostly barred from receiving compensation beyond their authorities salaries.

United States President Donald Trump gave tens of thousands of dollars successful currency gifts past twelvemonth to 4 White House aides, raising questions astir whether helium violated national morals rules governing compensation for authorities employees.

Executive adjunct Natalie Harp, communications advisor Margo Martin and lawman manager of Oval Office operations Chamberlain Harris each received $45,000, according to fiscal disclosures released by the medication past week.

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Meanwhile, Walt Nauta, the manager of Oval Office operations, received $20,000. The wealth was labelled arsenic “Cash Gift for Holidays”.

Federal employees are mostly barred from receiving compensation beyond their authorities salaries, raising questions implicit whether the payments are permissible. The White House, however, said the gifts complied with morals rules.

“The gifts astatine contented present person thing to bash with immoderate of these individuals’ authoritative authorities duties, and truthful are wholly permissible nether applicable ineligible and ethical standards,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said.

Ingle added that Trump has a longstanding signifier of giving Christmas gifts to radical successful his “orbit”, some during his clip successful authorities and successful the backstage sector.

The $45,000 payments were equivalent to astir one-third of the yearly salaries Harp, Martin and Harris received. They are paid $150,000 a year. Nauta’s yearly compensation is $175,000.

Harp and Nauta are among Trump’s closest aides, with near-constant entree to the president astatine the White House and portion travelling.

Harp, for instance, helps negociate Trump’s Truth Social relationship and drafts societal media statements, according to a idiosyncratic acquainted with her role.

She is besides known for carrying a portable printer that provides Trump with quality coverage, earning her the nickname the “human printer”.

Her adjacent narration with the president has made her the taxable of nationalist scrutiny successful caller months. At 1 midterm rally, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff questioned Trump’s committedness to nationalist service, pointing to his travels with Harp.

“He doesn’t privation to bash the job. He wants to physique his ballroom and question with Natalie,” Ossoff said.

Trump has cultivated a likewise choky enslaved with Nauta. A erstwhile White House valet, Nauta continued to enactment for Trump aft helium mislaid re-election successful 2020, taking connected roles astatine the president’s Mar-a-Lago edifice and wrong his governmental enactment committee.

He has since returned to the White House arsenic portion of Trump’s 2nd administration.

Between Trump’s 2 terms, however, Nauta was a co-defendant, alongside Trump, successful a national indictment alleging the Republican person illegally withheld classified documents extracurricular of office.

Nauta was charged with conspiring to conceal the documents and obstruct the national investigation. He pleaded not guilty, and the lawsuit was aboriginal dropped erstwhile Trump returned to office.

Harp and Nauta were among a tiny radical of aides who accompanied Trump into a catering motortruck arsenic helium secretly switched planes successful Turkiye successful July, amid reported threats to his safety.

Reporters, unit and figures similar Secretary of State Marco Rubio remained connected the level Trump was meant to beryllium connected board, which critics person described arsenic a “decoy flight” successful lawsuit of attack.