Trump's company says it donated profits from 'foreign government patronage,' won't disclose any details

Trump Organization donates some amount of foreign profits to the Treasury
(Image credit: Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images)

On Monday, the Trump Organization said it had donated its 2017 profits from foreign governments to the U.S. Treasury, but declined to say how much it had donated, how it had calculated that amount, or which foreign governments had paid the Trump Organization. "Although not a legal requirement, this voluntary donation fulfills our pledge to donate profits from foreign government patronage at our hotels and similar business during President Trump's term in office," George Sorial, the company's chief compliance officer, said in a statement. The amount, donated last Thursday, was "calculated in accordance with our policy and the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry," he added.

That isn't very helpful, The Wall Street Journal explains. "The Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry is a set of standards for lodging businesses' financial statements, which outlines a system for tracking customers but not their professions, and "it isn't clear whether that system provides any means for companies to identify customers who work for foreign governments." The governments of Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Kuwait have all paid for lodging or events at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., either directly or indirectly.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.