‘One of the Most Expensive Residential Rentals in Manhattan’
Americans are asking why the Dept. of Defense is leasing space in Trump Tower to support White House operations at a cost of $130,000 per month. The DoD signed a contract worth $2.39 million for 18 months — above market rates — even though President Donald Trump has not spent a single night in his Manhattan home since being sworn in six months ago.
“The government signed a $2.39 million lease to rent a 3,475 sq. ft. space in the building for the military from Apr. 11, 2017 to Sept. 30, 2018, nearly 18 months in total, according to lease documents that The Wall Street Journal obtained through a freedom of information request,” The Wall Street Journal reports.
“The government agreed to pay $180,000 for the last 20 days of April 2017 and $130,000 a month thereafter, according to the contract released by the General Services Administration, the agency that negotiates office space agreements for the government.”
These payments are in addition to the tens of millions of dollars taxpayers are spending on the Secret Service’s operations at Trump Tower. For 2018 the Trump Tower operation is budgeted at over $25 million, even though the President rarely if ever visits there, preferring to visit his golf courses on the weekends.
“The U.S. military uses the White House Military Office to provide medical, food, transportation and communications services that by regulation need to be close to the president at all times,” the Journal explains. “The military also ensures that the so-called nuclear football—the briefcase that allows the president to authorize a nuclear attack—accompanies the commander in chief during his travels. Its operations are separate from those of the Secret Service.”
The Journal notes the military’s payments do not appear to be benefiting Trump or his companies directly.
“A Pentagon official wrote in a letter seen by the Journal that the space is owned privately by someone unaffiliated with the Trump Organization and that the department sees no way in which Mr. Trump can benefit from the rent money.”
But the paper also makes clear the cost is extraordinary, describing it as “one of the most expensive residential rentals in Manhattan.”
Image by Mattia Panciroli via Flickr