Government and congressional investigators are now attempting to track down dozens of expensive gifts given to Donald Trump and his family members by foreign leaders during his time in the White House that were supposed to be turned over to the National Archives, The Washington Post reports.
Diamond earrings, expensive golf clubs, and a $6,400 ceremonial golden medal presented to Trump by Saudi King Salman in Riyadh in 2017 are just a few of the gifts congressional investigators are attempting to trace, sources told the Post.
The gifts being tracked are reportedly worth a total of around $50,000.
It wasn’t clear why the specific list of gifts was being traced. A spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee, which launched the investigation and has asked the National Archives for help, would only tell the Post that the probe is ongoing.
The 1966 Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act prohibits presidents and other government officials from keeping gifts from foreigners worth more than $415 unless they pay for them.
While the National Archives holds most of the gifts given to U.S. presidents by foreign leaders, some are also kept by the Department of the Interior’s park service and by the General Services Administration.
The New York Times first reported a year ago that required tracking and reporting of such gifts by the Trump administration fell into “risible shambles,” particularly during his last year in office.
The probe into the gifts comes in the wake of an FBI search in August of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home and resort, where agents removed several boxes of documents, including classified and even top-secret information that was supposed to be turned over to the National Archives at the end of Trump’s term.
Several seized items were labeled as “gifts,” though few details were provided.
Neither Trump nor his lawyers or other representatives have commented on the Post’s story.
“This president was very much into holding onto things,” a former Trump White House staffer told the Post. “Mementos and gifts are a big thing with him.”
Check out the full Washington Post story here.
