The Trump International Hotel’s bar in Washington, D.C. is located in a beautiful atrium. The prices aren’t cheap, but the service is excellent.
Still, the Trump hotel bar, known as the Benjamin Bar and Lounge, represents an ideal waltzing ground for spies.
It attracts individuals whom foreign spies would wish to target. Active and former Trump administration officials and senior Republicans frequent the bar. On most occasions I’ve been there, I’ve seen well-recognized public figures chatting with other patrons. High-profile conservative public relations officials and diplomats also frequent the bar. For a capable spy, all these individuals offer the opportunity of access to and insight of the Trump administration. Moreover, matching alcohol to an ego-driven desire to be seen and heard, the bar incentivizes individuals to show off by sharing their knowledge.
The other factor is that the bar is large with an open plan. This would feasibly enable the use of technical intelligence tools to record conversations that are outside of immediate earshot. Trained intelligence officers know how to do this in a manner that mitigates their risk of detection. The hotel might employ more ambient noise to mitigate the effectiveness of these tools, but it is unlikely to be able to do so entirely.
Anyway, Trump hotel patrons should be cautious what they say there. And the hotel should regularly sweep the bar for surveillance bugs.
