Regular paychecks apparently weren't the only money flowing out of the White House payroll office. New financial disclosures show that President Trump personally gave $45,000 in cash to three close aides—executive assistant Natalie Harp, communications adviser Margo Martin, and aide Chamberlain Harris—labeling the money "Cash Gift for Holidays," reports the Washington Post. Each earns $150,000 a year, making the gifts worth about a third of their salaries.
Walt Nauta, who gets paid $175,000 annually as director of Oval Office operations, reported a separate $20,000 gift. Politico notes that these staffers in particular "are among the aides with the most regular access to the president." A White House official wouldn't say if Trump gave similar gifts to any others, per the AP. Ethics experts say they've never seen a president give subordinates cash on this scale and warn that the payments may violate a federal ban on supplementing government salaries from outside sources, per the Post.
"You can't do that," says Richard Painter, a former ethics lawyer for George W. Bush. The White House rejects that view, calling the gifts part of Trump's long-standing habit of giving holiday money to people around him and insisting they're unrelated to official duties. Still, former Office of Government Ethics acting director Don Fox describes the situation as "troublesome," saying such sums could leave aides feeling indebted. The three aides aren't commenting.
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