WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 30: Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and current lawyer for U.S. President Donald Trump, speaks to members of the media during a White House Sports and Fitness Day at the South Lawn of the White House May 30, 2018 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted the event to encourage children to participate in sports and make youth sports more accessible to economically disadvantaged students. (Photo: Getty)
Amid her absence from her husband’s campaign trail, Melania Trump did receive two six-figure paychecks for attending political events.
The former first lady was paid $237,500 to speak at a fundraiser for the Log Cabin Republicans in April, according to the former president’s latest financial disclosure form. While the form states that the political group paid her, it is unclear who specifically cut the check.
Campaign finance and government ethics experts say this kind of payment to a presidential candidate’s spouse to attend political events is unusual and should be investigated, especially given the ambiguous nature of the disclosure.
“It seems pretty self-serving. From my own general observation, I’m not used to seeing that,” Chief Ethics Counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics Virginia Canter told CNN. “You could indicate that payment was for a speaking engagement for the Log Cabin Republicans, but you also need to report who the source of the payment was; otherwise, you can’t assess for the conflicts of interest, and it wouldn’t be in compliance with the rules.”
Melania’s team has not addressed the financial disclosure.
Log Cabin Republicans is an organization affiliated with the Republican party that advocates for LGBTQ rights. Records show that Melania was also paid $250,000 for a Log Cabin Republicans event in December 2022, one of three payments of this amount or more that she received for speaking that month.
In a recent video to promote her new memoir, the former first lady defended her nude modeling career.
Lorde will be joined on select dates by artists The Japanese House, Chanel Beads, Empress…
Rapper 50 Cent vowed to stop President Donald Trump from pardoning Sean Combs. During a…
Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen is set to open Trans What You…
The July 17 debut of Walt Disney – A Magical Life will coincide with Disneyland’s…
Mountbatten-Windsor is the British royal family’s official surname used by some descendants of the late…
Ben Stiller said sports analyst Pat McAfee had “weird” commentary at a basketball game. The…