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Trump gave $45,000 cash gifts to Natalie Harp, two other close aides
The gifts included $45,000 each for three aides and $20,000 for a fourth, according to annual disclosure forms.
President Donald Trump gave $45,000 holiday gifts to executive assistant Natalie Harp, communications adviser Margo Martin, and deputy director of Oval Office operations Chamberlain Harris, plus $20,000 to director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta, according to financial disclosures released last week.
These payments represent a significant portion of the aides' salaries, with Harp, Martin, and Harris earning $150,000 annually, while Nauta is paid $175,000 a year, according to White House salary disclosures to Congress.
A White House official stated Trump has a "longstanding practice" of giving Christmas gifts, adding that the cash gifts were unrelated to the "individuals" official government duties and permissible under legal and ethical standards.
The Washington Post first reported the disclosures on Tuesday, bringing the gift payments and aides' financial records into public view through formal disclosure documentation.
Harris serves on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, appointed earlier this year, while Nauta, a former valet, previously faced dismissed charges regarding an FBI investigation into classified documents.