Former US President Donald Trump failed to properly declare gifts from abroad to him and his family worth more than a quarter million dollars during his tenure, according to a report by Democratic lawmakers. That’s the conclusion of Democrats on the House committee responsible for overseeing government in a preliminary report released on Friday.
The gifts from countries like China or Saudi Arabia have a total value of 291,000 US dollars (almost 275,000 euros). By law, the president must declare gifts to him and his family that are worth more than $415, the report said.
Such gifts are owned by the US government. However, for more valuable personal gifts, the recipient has the option to buy them from the government and keep them. In any case, the incumbent must declare it publicly. However, that did not happen in Trump’s case with regard to the gifts in question, it said. The Republican was US President from 2017 to 2021.
Among the unspecified gifts was a Saudi dagger valued at $24,000. According to the report, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who, among other things, led several delegations to the Middle East under Trump as a White House staffer, bought the dagger. On the other hand, the competent authority has no information about the whereabouts of other gifts, it said. This includes a larger-than-life portrait of Trump that the then President received as a gift from his counterpart in El Salvador. There is also no sign of golf clubs worth several thousand dollars, which Trump received as a gift from then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The committee wanted to find out whether and what influence the undeclared gifts could have had on US foreign policy, the report said.
