After he won the presidency, Trump got new approval for a massive tax subsidy for his luxury DC hotel.

Mandel Ngan / AFP / Getty Images Donald Trump with Ivanka Trump at the Washington, DC, Trump International Hotel.

Six days after Donald Trump won the presidential election, the federal government finalized a key step toward a tax subsidy worth as much as $32 million for a company that is owned by Trump, his daughter Ivanka, and two of his sons. That company owns Trump’s luxury Washington, DC, hotel, located in a taxpayer-owned historic landmark known as the Old Post Office Building, which Trump leases from the federal government. The hotel has become emblematic of Trump’s many potential conflicts of interest, because when he becomes president he will effectively be both landlord and tenant. The latest step toward the massive tax credit, which has not been previously reported, puts that conflict in sharp relief. On Nov. 14, the National Park Service, which oversees “Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits” with the IRS, finalized the second phase of a three-step process. Technically, it approved an amendment to Trump’s previous plans for the rehabilitation of the building. With that done, the Trump family company that leases the hotel, the Trump Old Post Office LLC, has to go through just one more phase to get the tax credit worth 20% of the rehabilitation project. “This is a classic or textbook example of a conflict of interest,” said Steven Schooner, a professor of government procurement law at George Washington University School of Law. “The decision-maker here, the National Park Service, works for the party that stands to benefit from a favorable decision.” As Trump prepares to take the reins of government, his potential conflicts of interest are sparking more criticism and scrutiny. The New York Times, for example, published a lengthy article about Trump’s conflicts from his overseas business dealings. But Trump’s hotel, on Pennsylvania Avenue just blocks from the White House, may be the most glaring conflict. A federal agency, the General Services Administration, will report to him at the same time the agency acts as his landlord. Technically the president himself is exempt from criminal conflict of interest laws, but ethics experts say that doesn’t make the deal less improper. On Wednesday morning, Trump tweeted that he was “leaving” his business, saying that “legal documents are being crafted which take me completely out of business operations. The Presidency is a far more important task!”

Hence, legal documents are being crafted which take me completely out of business operations. The Presidency is a far more important task!

Earlier, Amanda Miller, vice president of marketing at the Trump Organization, said in a statement to BuzzFeed News, “We are in the process of vetting various structures with the goal of the immediate transfer of management of The Trump Organization and its portfolio of businesses to Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump along with a team of highly skilled executives. In fact, ethics experts have slammed the idea that giving Trump’s children control of his companies could resolve his potential conflicts of interest, because his interest and theirs would be closely aligned, and because they appear to be advising him in his political role. Those concerns were heightened when, shortly after the election, Ivanka Trump met with her father and the president of Japan. With the hotel, there are additional problems. Schooner points out the lease the GSA signed with the Trump Organization specifically bans any “elected official of the Government of the United States” from participating in the lease. Schooner and another contracting expert have recommended that the GSA break the contract. (The GSA has said it plans to coordinate with Trump's transition team to deal with any potential conflict of interest.) The project has already been embroiled in litigation. Trump is suing the DC government to lower his taxes on the hotel. He’s also sued two restauranteurs who had agreed to build restaurants at the hotel, because they pulled out after he launched his campaign with a speech they felt included racist comments about Mexicans.

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters Trump's newest hotel is in the landmark Old Post Office Building, just blocks from the White House.