Agency: Trump family is in 'full compliance' with Old Post Office lease

WASHINGTON — The Trump family is in "full compliance" with its government lease of the Old Post Office Building in Washington, and is not violating a provision prohibiting the president from gaining an interest in the property, the General Services Administration concluded Thursday.

The bill of health from the government's land-management agency came at the request of President Trump's private lawyers, who asked for a determination Monday in order to resolve the question about whether Trump's presidency is a violation of the terms of the lease.

Trump signed the lease in 2014, redeveloping the signature Pennsylvania Avenue property into a luxury hotel. The government is receiving $250,000 a month on the lease, turning the once-dilapidated building "into a revenue-generating asset."

Immediately after Trump was sworn in Jan. 20, the GSA was faced with the question of whether Trump Old Post Office LLC had violated a clause in the lease prohibiting elected officials from being "admitted to any share or part" of the lease.

Trump attorney Sherri Dillon argued that Trump's interest predated his election, and so the clause doesn't apply. And they said he separated himself from the day-to-day management of the business, which is now run by son Donald Trump Jr. and Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's chief financial officer.

After reviewing the ownership structure and internal management of the Trump entity, contracting officer Kevin Terry provided a certificate finding that the "lease is valid and is in full force and effect."