Matt Gaetz’s campaign’s error-prone history of reporting its Trump Hotel D.C. spending

Apr 02, 2021

More than half of Gaetz campaign’s disbursements at the Trump Hotel D.C. had to be revised or were originally omitted

“Federal investigators looking into Rep. Matt Gaetz’s [(R-FL)] relationships with young women have examined whether any federal campaign money was involved in paying for travel and expenses for the women, a person briefed on the matter said,” reported Evan Perez, David Shortell, Paula Reid, and Pamela Brown for CNN on Thursday [bold added].

Gaetz has denied the recent allegations, and CNN reported his attorney had no comment regarding its report.

And while CNN’s article didn’t provide details about the specific travel expenditures being scrutinized, it did lead 1100 Pennsylvania to realize Gaetz’s campaign has had reporting problems when it comes to former President Donald J. Trump’s D.C. hotel: filings with the Federal Election Commission showed that five of the Gaetz campaign’s eight disbursements at the Trump Hotel D.C. had to be corrected or originally had been omitted altogether.

The forgotten $2,001 lodging expense

When Gaetz’s campaign originally filed its first quarter 2020 report with the FEC, it failed to include a $2,001 expense for lodging on Jan 9, 2020. Two days later, the campaign amended its report to include that disbursement.

Citing ‘clerical error,’ Gaetz campaign amended its FEC filings: charges that appeared to be below-market lodging were reclassified as meal expenses

From the Oct. 20, 2020 issue of 1100 Pennsylvania:

In its third-quarter 2020 filing made last week with the Federal Elections Commission, Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) campaign reported four disbursements to the Trump Hotel D.C. All were incurred for lodging on Aug. 27, 2020—the final day of the Republican National Convention, which was held in D.C. and they ranged from just $216.20 to $261.47 (totaling $976.87).
As of Aug 4., room rates at the Trump Hotel D.C. for Aug. 26 and 27 started at $556 and $636 respectively—more than double what Gaetz’s campaign was charged.
And by the week of the convention, the president’s hotel was sold out on those dates (with room rates on surrounding days starting at $626).
While room rates can fluctuate, they are influenced by a slew of variables, and it’s possible the Gaetz campaign made its reservations before the RNC shifted from Charlotte to D.C., $216 a night is among the lowest rates 1100 Pennsylvania has seen at the downtown D.C. five-star hotel.
Per the FEC’s regulations, when campaigns pay below the usual charge, they are required to report the difference as contributions…The Gaetz campaign’s latest filing did not report any such largesse from the Trump Organization.

The day after 1100 Pennsylvania’s scoop, the Gaetz campaign again filed an amended report with the FEC. On the update, the charges’ descriptions were changed from lodging to meal expenses. A spokesperson for Gaetz’s office told 1100 Pennsylvania at the time that the edit was needed due to a “clerical error.”

The dates of those disbursements also were revised on the ammended report. According to the spokesperson, they originally had reflected when the credit card payment was made and were changed to show the date the expenses were incurred.

The Gaetz campaign also has patronized Doral and Mar-a-Lago, classifying all disbursements as meal or lodging expenses. None of these expenditures had to be corrected or added to an already filed report though.

As for whether or not Gaetz still would be welcome at Trump properties if the recent allegations led to his resignation from Congress, well—

Other notable sightings

A glimpse of the foreign officials, government employees, politicians, lobbyists, and the like who patronize or appear at Trump businesses. Most people shown here have reasons to want to influence the former president, rely on his good graces for their livelihoods, or should have been providing oversight. Additionally, high-profile guests serve as draws for paying customers.

Democrat turned Republican Georgia State Rep. Vernon Jones, former New York City police commissioner and Trump pardon recipient Bernard Kerik, former Missouri governor and current GOP candidate for U.S. Senate Eric Greitens, and one-time Sinclair and Trump campaign staffer Boris Epshteyn mugged for the camera (and possibly the club’s owner) at Trump Palm Beach.

Other Trump Organization news

“New York attorney general probes finances of key Trump aide” by David A. Fahrenthold and Shanya Jacobs for The Washington Post

Reference section

Links to rundowns of developments in the House’s investigations and lawsuits, reference sheets for some of 1100 Pennsylvania’s previous reporting, and articles that provide the background on why all of this matters. The date published or last updated is in parentheses.

Trackers

House investigations (Dec. 20, 2020)
Lawsuits (Jan. 26, 2021)
Breakdown of judges’ rulings by political party of presidents who nominated them (July 13, 2020)
Health inspections (Oct. 6, 2020)
COVID-19 bailouts and charity (Nov. 30, 2020)

Notable customers

Politicians spotted at Mar-a-Lago post-presidency (April 1, 2021)
Foreign governments with representatives spotted at the Trump Hotel D.C.: 33 (Sept. 22, 2020)
Trump cabinet members spotted at the Trump Hotel D.C.: 28 of 37 (Jan 21, 2021)
U.S. Senators who’ve supported the Trump Hotel D.C.: 35 of 65 Republicans, one Democrat (Jan. 21, 2021)
House Judiciary members who’ve supported the Trump Hotel D.C.: Seven of 17 Republicans, no Democrats (Sept. 25, 2020)
House Intelligence members who’ve supported the Trump Hotel D.C.: Four of eight Republicans, no Democrats (June 1, 2020)
House Oversight members who’ve supported the Trump Hotel D.C.: Nine of 17 Republicans, no Democrats (Aug. 2, 2020)
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management who’ve supported the Trump Hotel D.C.: Four out of six Republicans, one Democrat (July 1, 2020)
Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R–CA) found Trump’s hotels competitive only after Trump’s election (Sept. 12, 2019)
Rudy Giuliani at the Trump Hotel D.C: A retrospective (April 30, 2019)

Summaries

“Stay to play: Inside the sordid history of Trump’s D.C. hotel—And why the president’s prized property could be headed for a reckoning” by your correspondent for Mother Jones (September 2020)
“Power tripping in the swamp: How Trump’s D.C. hotel swallowed Washington
The MAGA social scene is a movable feast, but its dark heart resides within the Old Post Office Building, where the Trump Org operates under a mercenary charter” by your correspondent for Vanity Fair (October 2019)
“Inside the world’s most controversial hotel: The hotel that was expected to take its place among the crown jewels of D.C.’s travel scene has become a magnet for protestors, a West Wing Annex, and—possibly—the center of a constitutional crisis.” by your correspondent for Condé Nast Traveler (May 2018)

Upcoming key dates

Sept. 23, 2019—House Judiciary Committee hearing “Presidential corruption: Emoluments and profiting off the presidency” (postponed, not yet rescheduled)
March 30, 2021—Deadline for GSA to provide information on the Trump Hotel D.C.’s lease to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

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