President Trump’s ability to withdraw money from his businesses is not unusual, and was not the result of changes to his trust document, the White House said Monday.
“I’m somewhat surprised in the sense that anyone would find it shocking,” press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters. “A blind trust, or any kind of trust rather … the entire point of setting it up is so somebody can withdraw money.”
In an article published Monday, ProPublica alleged that Trump had amended his trust document to make it possible for him to take profits from the trust “at his request” or whenever his son’s or lawyer “deem appropriate.”
Prior to taking office, Trump placed his assets in a blind trust that his two eldest sons control.
“Just because a left-wing blog makes the point of something changing doesn’t mean it actually happened,” Spicer said. “The idea that the president was withdrawing money at some point is the exact point for having a trust to set up regardless of the individual.”
Trump faced an onslaught of criticism before taking office for refusing to fully divest from his massive real estate empire.
