Attorney General William Barr is reportedly hosting a blowout holiday bash at Trump's hotel
It looks like Attorney General William Barr wants to have his family party at a family business.
The Department of Justice head has booked his 200-person holiday bash at President Trump's hotel in Washington, D.C., documents obtained by The Washington Post reveal. It'll reportedly feature an open bar and buffet and be held in the hotel's Presidential Ballroom, likely netting the Trump's more than $30,000 in revenue, the Post estimates.
Barr booked what a contract listed as a "family holiday party" for Dec. 8, and will likely be his traditional combination of holiday activities and an Irish- or Scottish-music-filled cèilidh, per the Post. But since Barr is paying for the private event himself, it doesn't quite cross into the ethically ambiguous territory of hosting an official administration event at the Trump Hotel. The Trump administration has generally avoided booking official events at the hotel and encouraging world leaders from staying there, but that hasn't stopped Saudi-funded lobbyists and even Trump-tied events from filling the hotel. And even though Trump has detached himself from the business, he still profits from it, meaning he'll likely benefit in some way from the Barr party.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A DOJ official told the Post that "career ethics officials were consulted," but didn't determine ethics rules would stop Barr from having his party at the Trump Hotel. Another official said Barr chose the event only because other hotels in the area were booked. Read more at The Washington Post.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
A running list of everything Trump has named or renamed after himselfIn Depth The Kennedy Center is the latest thing to be slapped with Trump’s name
-
Do oil companies really want to invest in Venezuela?Today’s Big Question Trump claims control over crude reserves, but challenges loom
-
‘Despite the social benefits of venting, people can easily overdo it’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
