Trump announces golf partner and former Georgia senator will co-chair inaugural committee

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump announced on Saturday that his inaugural committee will be chaired by Florida real estate investor Steven Witkoff and former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who he called “longtime friends and supporters.”

“This will be the kick-off to my administration, which will deliver on bold promises to Make America Great Again," Trump said in a news release.

Witkoff is the president-elect’s golf partner who was with Trump when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida in September.

Trump's first inauguration was scrutinized for its lavish spending. The inaugural committee chair back then, California billionaire Tom Barrack, drew attention by raising $107 million for the event.

Trump's businesses and the inaugural committee reached a deal to pay Washington, D.C. $750,000 to resolve a lawsuit that alleged the committee overpaid for events at his hotel and enriched the former president's family in the process.

The committee maintained back then that its finances were independently audited, and that the money was spent in accordance with the law.