We all saw this coming as there's been deep reporting on the subject for months, but today it became a little more official as the General Services Administration plainly stated that despot-elect Donald Trump will be in violation of his lease and must divest from his D.C. hotel immediately.
In response to a letter from House Democrats, Michael Gelber, the deputy commissioner of the General Services Administration’s Public Buildings Service, said that Trump will be in breach of his lease as soon as he is sworn in on Jan. 20, 2017. The hotel lease specifically states that “no … elected official of the Government of the United States … shall be admitted to any share or part of this Lease, or to any benefit that may arise therefrom.”
Trump has stated that he intends to transfer ownership to his children, but that apparently won't be good enough.
So what happens if Trump and his family do not fully divest from the government-owned Old Post Office?
My understanding is that the General Services Administration will have no choice but to terminate the lease. In that event, Trump's children could possibly attempt to sue the federal government for damages, a government that their father will be in charge of.
Federal taxpayers are going to be taken for a ride in any case.