Ivanka restricts Secret Service from using bathroom, costs $100,000 to federal govt: Reports

Secret Service agents assigned to US President’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner have rented a small studio apartment in the Kalorama neighborhood of Washington DC, Washington Post reports. The expenditure since September 2017 for $3,000 a month has crossed $100,000 to date, the report added.

A residential area of diplomats and dignitaries, the Kalorama neighbourhood has seen the apartment next to Ivanka-Kushner’s occupied by Secret Service. The studio apartment is needed to provide downtime facility to the team.

When asked, a White House spokesperson denied that Trump- Kushner restricted agents from using their property, The Washington Post said. Ivanka Trump owns a 5,000-square-foot home, with its six bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms, which is out of bounds for the detail. According to CNN, a source said that the rental of the apartment was not only to provide toilet facilities, but also to serve as a downtime break room for agents in the area.

“There is also office space with Internet and a printer, as well as a kitchen, where agents can refuel after long shifts and during hours where finding open restaurants in the area proves challenging,” the source told CNN.

White House spokesman Judd Deere, while writing an email to the Post, denied that Trump and Kushner requested that their Secret Service detail not use the bathrooms in their home.

“When discussions regarding protecting their home were initially had in 2017, Ivanka and Jared made clear that their home would always be open to the incredible men and women on their detail. It was only after a decision by the [Secret Service] was made that their detail sought other accommodations. The Kushners have a tremendous amount of respect for the servicemen and women on their detail and for the United States Secret Service as a whole. Their home will always be open to them and they have immense gratitude for their service over the last four years,” she wrote in an email. 

While Donald Trump has claimed that he has lost billions of dollars being President instead of running his business, the family has repeatedly spent federal money on various occasions.