Roll Call is reporting that a review by the Office of the Inspector General shows that President Donald Trump played a role in derailing plans to move the FBI headquarters. The current building, in downtown Washington, D.C., is across the street from Trump’s hotel. The review by the inspector general indicates that in January White House officials, including on one occasion the president, met with officials from the FBI and the General Services Administration (GSA) to discuss the proposed move, which would see the agency housed in a new building in the suburbs.
Lawmakers have expressed concern that Trump’s intervention could be a conflict of interest because the value of his hotel could alter if the FBI headquarters is sold to private development. As The Wall Street Journal notes, “GSA Administrator Emily Murphy gave testimony to Congress in April that didn’t disclose the involvement of Mr. Trump or other White House officials, despite repeated questioning from a Democratic member of Congress about whether anyone at the White House had participated in the decision.”
Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland tweeted:
The Trump Hotel is across the street from the current FBI HQ. Trump will benefit financially from this new plan to keep the FBI where it is and not redevelop it into commercial space. Yet GSA and FBI refused to answer when asked if he was involved in this decision. Why? pic.twitter.com/G6RZQagCdY
— Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) March 1, 2018
The FBI headquarters can be added to the long list of corruption accusations that may attract congressional attention if Democrats win back the House of Representatives in the fall.