President Trump’s family business hired a construction company owned by the Chinese government to work on his golf club development in Dubai even though he vowed that he wouldn’t engage with foreign entities while in the White House, according to a report.
DAMAC Properties, which is partnering with Trump on the project, inked a $32 million contract with a subsidiary of China State Construction Engineering Corporation to build a road at the Trump-branded World Golf Club Dubai, Mc Clatchy news service reported, citing press releases by the companies.
The releases say the contract was awarded in the first couple months of this year, when Trump was inaugurated as president and questions were raised about his sprawling real estate empire’s dealings with foreign governments and possible conflicts of interests.
The Trump Organization confirmed that his companies would not begin deals or transactions with any foreign entity – country, agency or official – other than “normal and customary arrangements” made before the election, the news service reported.
The president also placed his holdings in a trust set up to hold assets for his “exclusive benefit,” which he can access whenever he wants.
An official with the Trump Organization, which is being run by Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric, said the Chinese company was “appointed by DAMAC to undertake some infrastructure work and to build one of their hospitality developments,” projects “totally unrelated” to the golf club.
Meredith McGehee, chief of policy at Issue One, a nonprofit government accountability group, told McClatchy that the president’s doing business deals with such entities raises the possibility that a foreign government is engaging with Trump to gain access to him and trying to influence foreign policy.