Today we look at Mar-a-Lago’s staffing whilst Donald Trump had access to America’s secrets.
Mar-A-Lago Sought 380 Foreign Workers During Time Trump Had Access To Classified Documents
Mar-a-Lago looked to employ 380 short-term foreign workers from 2017 to 2022, when Trump had access to classified documents, initially as president and ultimately as a former official living at the club.
Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 37 charges stemming from his retention of government documents, including 102 the FBI allegedly found when they raided Mar-a-Lago in August 2022. According to the indictment, Trump stored classified documents in the ballroom, a bathroom, his bedroom, a storage room and his office. It’s unclear who exactly could get inside those areas, but it would stand to reason that some Mar-a-Lago staff could access them.
Mar-a-Lago relies on foreign nationals to work as servers, cooks and housekeepers. In 2016, the club sought 65 foreign workers. The figure has increased every year since, with the exception of 2020, when the club shut down in the early days of the pandemic and furloughed more than 150 employees. Last winter, Mar-a-Lago sought out 91 foreign workers, according to records filed with the Department of Labor.
Mar-a-Lago looked to hire 17 shot-term foreign workers to serve as housekeepers in 2021.
Department of Labor/Mar-a-Lago
The requirements listed on the job orders do not seem particularly strict. For example, the qualifications to be a housekeeper during the 2021 to 2022 season included three months of verifiable housekeeping experience and a drug and background check. The position also required the ability to communicate in English, maintain flexible hours and move 25 pounds. It paid $11.70 an hour.
U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services’ guidelines allow U.S. employers to hire short-term, non-permanent foreign workers if “there are not enough U.S. workers who are able, willing, qualified and available to do the temporary work.” Foreign nationals from 87 countries are eligible to apply for these jobs via the federal government’s H-2B visa program. Businesses must petition the Department of Labor for permission to hire these workers, listing the number of vacancies they are looking to fill.
If Mar-a-Lago’s reliance on foreign workers seems at odds with Trump’s immigration policy, it’s not. While his White House tried to prevent employers from relying on foreign workers, it targeted permanent employees—not the temporary ones Mar-a-Lago and other Trump properties hire.
Representatives of the Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment.
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Loose Change
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) earned more than $100,000 in 2022 for his memoir, “Do What You Said You Would Do,” according to a disclosure he filed Wednesday with the House clerk’s office. The payment was first reported by Cleveland.com.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) offers signed copies of Jordan’s book in exchange for a donation of $35 or more. The NRCC reported paying $30,000 in 2022 to Jordan’s publisher, Post Hill Press, a conservative outlet.
“Jordan for Congress did not buy copies of ‘Do What You Said You Would Do,’ but certainly understands why other entities might want to use it as a fundraising tool,” said Kevin Eichinger, a spokesperson for the campaign.
Representatives of the NRCC did not respond to inquiries.
*****
The Michigan Republican Party failed to report $2 million in expenditures and $160,000 in receipts in its original March 2023 report, according to a letter the Federal Election Committee (FEC) sent the state party earlier in June. The Michigan GOP has until July 6 to explain its original oversight. A spokesperson for the committee did not respond to a request for comment.
In response to previous inquiries from the FEC about discrepancies between other original and amended filings, the committee said “any change in activity is a result of an audit conducted by the previous compliance staff” and that the committee is using a new compliance firm.
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Continuing Irresolutions
Updates on Checks & Imbalances’ previous reporting
Former Vice President Mike Pence announced Thursday that his second book will be published in November.
Pence’s political action committee bought $91,000 worth of his literary debut last year. It peaked at No. 2 on the New York Times’ best-seller list and remained ranked for six weeks.
*****
Kari Lake’s debut single, “81 Million Votes, My Ass,” held the top spot on the iTunes Music chart for two days this week. That list measures paid downloads, as opposed to streams, the more popular method to listen to music.
Tracking Trump
Forbes continues to update “Tracking Trump: All The Criminal Cases, Lawsuits And Investigations Involving The Former President.”
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Forbes
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“Hours after becoming the first former U.S. president to be charged with a federal crime Tuesday, Donald Trump laid out his defense against the 37-count indictment accusing him of mishandling sensitive government information and obstructing the investigation into his conduct—but his speech included legally fraught arguments and misleading comparisons of his political adversaries’ own legal woes,” reports Sara Dorn.
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Trump’s campaign said it raised $6.6 million after news broke of his federal indictment. At least one fundraiser that contributed to that total was held at his Bedminster, N.J. golf course this week, meaning he may have raised some funds for his private business.
Across Forbes
Quiz
Which of the following is not a false or misleading remark Donald Trump made after his latest indictment?
A. President Joe Biden had him arrested on “fake and fabricated charges”
B. The Bill Clinton “sock drawer” case exonerates Trump
C. The only person with the power to arrest him in the case is the Palm Beach County sheriff
D. The Espionage Act doesn’t apply
Check if you got it right here.
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