Trump’s DC hotel owes workers $5M for unpaid labor: report

Public records show liens were filed with District of Columbia in November and December

Donald Trump and the Trump International Hotel Washington DC
Donald Trump and the Trump International Hotel Washington DC

Donald Trump’s pricey hotel in the nation’s capital, which has attracted acute scrutiny because of the conflicts of interest it presents, owes workers more than $5 million in unpaid bills.

The Trump Organization spent $212 million redeveloping the historic Old Post Office into the 263-room Trump International Hotel D.C. Liens filed with the District of Columbia in November and December show the business owes electricians, woodworkers and a plumbing and heating business more than $5 million for unpaid labor, Bloomberg reported.

It’s not the first time Trump has been accused of failing to pay his workers, and his companies have been sued several times. Those who say they are owed money by Trump Old Post Office LLC include a Washington-based plumbing and heating firm, Joseph J. Magnolia Inc., which claims it is owed $2.9 million, AES Electrical Inc, which says it is owed just over $2 million and A&D Construction of Virginia LLC, which says the hotel hasn’t paid $79,700 for various work.

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Trump is facing growing pressure from ethics specialists and lawyers to separate himself from his business interests. The hotel, which is just blocks from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue, is causing a collection of complex ethical challenges. The building itself is rented from the federal government, which would put Trump on both sides of the lease if he doesn’t sell it.

But the hotel is just one part of Trump’s web of worldwide business ties and entanglements. The president-elect announced this week that he will address the media on Jan. 11. [Bloomberg]Miriam Hall