Company With Ties To Donald Trump’s Brother Awarded $33 Million Federal Contract
A company with financial ties to Donald Trump’s younger brother was awarded a $33 million contract from the U.S. Marshals Service, prompting an ethics complaint and drawing new criticism for the president’s unresolved business conflicts.
As the Washington Examiner reported, Trump’s brother, Robert, has a financial stake in the Virginia-based security company, CertiPath, which was just given a government contract to provide security to federal courthouses. As the report noted, a rival bidder filed an ethics complaint with the Department of Justice’s office of the inspector general, claiming that CertiPath failed to disclose that “one of the President’s closest living relatives stood to benefit financially from the transaction.”
The company’s president, Jeff Nigriny, said that Robert Trump was only a “passive investor” in the company with no role in management or day-to-day operations. The company added that it never used Robert Trump’s name when soliciting a government contract.
But the anonymous complaint said that the company tried to conceal its ties to Donald Trump’s younger brother.
“The circumstances of this contract award, and what appear to be CertiPath’s efforts to obscure Mr. Robert Trump’s financial interest in the company even as it trades on the Trump name, present the appearance of preferential treatment for those who are close to the President,” the complaint says.
Donald Trump has come under fire for his unresolved financial conflicts. Unlike his predecessors, Trump did not sever his business ties before becoming president, instead handing control of his company to his adult sons. Critics say that Donald Trump still has close ties to his companies, and has been accused of improperly pushing government spending to his properties.
As The Inquisitr reported, an unusual spike in U.S. military spending in and around Donald Trump’s Scotland resort has led to accusations that the president may be using his office to keep the foundering resort open.
As Politico reported, the military has spent $11 million on fuel at Prestwick Airport, the closest airport to the Turnberry resort. The report noted that fuel purchased at a nearby U.S. military base would have been cheaper. At the same time, there was an increase in U.S. service members staying at Turnberry’s rooms during layovers in military flights.
The report added that the spending made it appear as if Trump was trying to shore up finances for his resort.
“Taken together, the incidents raise the possibility that the military has helped keep Trump’s Turnberry resort afloat — the property lost $4.5 million in 2017, but revenue went up $3 million in 2018,” the report noted.
