The White House is defending President Donald Trump’s decision to give $45,000 in cash to Natalie Harp, one of his closest aides, saying the payment was a personal holiday gift and “entirely permissible” under federal law and ethics rules. Harp, who serves as a special assistant and executive assistant to the president, disclosed the payment in her annual financial disclosure report, identifying Trump as the source and describing it as a “cash gift for the holidays.” The payment was one of three $45,000 cash gifts Trump gave to White House employees. Communications adviser Margo Martin and White House aide Chamberlain Harris also reported receiving $45,000 from the president.
The payments were made in addition to their $150,000 annual government salaries. Trump also gave Oval Office operations director Walt Nauta a $20,000 gift, according to financial disclosures. Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for additional comment on Tuesday night.
In a statement posted to X on Tuesday night, the White House Press Office posted an apparent screenshot replying to a Politico reporter, saying Trump has “a longstanding practice of giving Christmas gifts to people in his orbit,” including employees and aides during both his time in government and the private sector. The administration added that the gifts “have nothing to do with any of these individuals’ official government duties” and are therefore "entirely permissible" under applicable legal and ethical standards. The payments have nevertheless drawn scrutiny from government ethics experts.
Richard Painter, who served as chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, told The Washington Post that the gifts could violate a federal law prohibiting outside payments from supplementing the salaries of federal employees. Painter is a known critic of Trump, the outlet points out.
Former acting Office of Government Ethics director under the Obama Administration, Don Fox, however, said the available facts do not make a violation clear, while describing the payments as "troublesome" because they could make recipients potentially feel indebted to the president. Former Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg told Newsweek Tuesday night, "The sheer size of these payments raises a legitimate ethics and legal question. Federal law generally prohibits a government employee from having his or her federal salary supplemented by a private source, and $45,000 is a lot different from giving someone a Christmas sweater or a bottle of wine.
"The critical question would be why President Trump gave them the money. If these were genuinely personal holiday gifts unrelated to their White House work, that is a much stronger defense. But if the money was effectively a bonus or additional compensation for their government service, it could implicate the federal salary-supplementation law, which applies to both receiving and paying prohibited compensation.
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