House Democrats say Trump-owned properties charged 'exorbitant' rates for Secret Service agents

House Democrats said Monday that Trump-owned properties have charged "exorbitant" hotel room rates for Secret Service agents.

The allegations are in House Oversight Committee report that alleges Trump hotels charged the Secret Service as much as $1,185 a night, totaling more than $1.4 million during former President Trump's time in office and after he left office in 2021.

"The exorbitant rates charged to the Secret Service and agents’ frequent stays at raise significant concerns about the former president’s self-dealing and may have resulted in a taxpayer-funded windfall for former President Trump’s struggling businesses," committee Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn Maloney said in a letter to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, according to NBC. 

The report also appears to raise questions about why the Secret Service authorized the charges, considering they were oin some cases over five times the recommended government rate.

From January 2017 through September 2021, the Secret Service received at least 40 waivers for the agency to spend more than recommended rates to stay at Trump properties. 

The Trump Organization and the Secret Service have not responded to NBC's request for comment.

Trump visited his properties 547 times as president, and agents were required to stay there to protect him and other leaders.

The Secret Service was reportedly charged $1,160 in March 2017 for a room at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., to protect Trump's son, Eric Trump, despite the fact the recommended government rate was $242 a night.

The recommended government rate is typically based on a formula that takes into account the season and location, according to the House committee.