Trump gave aide Natalie Harp a $45,000 holiday cash gift, disclosure shows

United States President Donald Trump gave tens of thousands of dollars in cash gifts last year to four White House aides, raising questions about whether he violated federal ethics rules governing compensation for government employees.

Executive assistant Natalie Harp, communications adviser Margo Martin and deputy director of Oval Office operations Chamberlain Harris each received $45,000, according to financial disclosures released by the administration last week.

Meanwhile, Walt Nauta, the director of Oval Office operations, received $20,000. The money was labelled as “Cash Gift for Holidays”.

Federal employees are generally barred from receiving compensation beyond their government salaries, raising questions over whether the payments are permissible. The White House, however, said the gifts complied with ethics rules.

“The gifts at issue here have nothing to do with any of these individuals’ official government duties, and therefore are entirely permissible under relevant legal and ethical standards,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said.

Ingle added that Trump has a longstanding practice of giving Christmas gifts to people in his “orbit”, both during his time in government and in the private sector.

The $45,000 payments were equivalent to roughly one-third of the annual salaries Harp, Martin and Harris received. They are paid $150,000 a year. Nauta’s annual compensation is $175,000.

Harp and Nauta are among Trump’s closest aides, with near-constant access to the president at the White House and while travelling.