Trump's inaugural committee pledges $3 million to hurricane relief amid accountability questions
The committee faced criticism for not distributing unused donations to charity.
— -- President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee -- which raised a record-setting $107 million from individual and corporate donors for inauguration events –- on Wednesday pledged to give $3 million of its leftover funds to hurricane relief charities.
The committee recently came under fire for not giving unused donations to charity eight months after Inauguration Day. Meanwhile, some of the unspent money was used to renovate the White House and the vice president’s residence, Stephanie Grisham, a spokeswoman for first lady Melania Trump, told ABC News.
Officials from Trump’s inaugural committee would not tell ABC News how much money was left over from the inauguration or how that money has been spent so far.
“The president has encouraged us to utilize portions of the surplus funds from the inauguration to aid in the disaster relief efforts,” Thomas Barrack, 58th Presidential Inaugural Committee chairman, wrote in a statement to ABC News.
The American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and Samaritan’s Purse will each receive $1 million from the committee, according to Barrack.
“The inaugural committee will continue to make further contributions to charitable causes until its winding down,” Barrack added.
