Ms. Winston Wolkoff is not paid for her work in the first lady’s office, according to Ms. Grisham, who said Ms. Winston Wolkoff is classified as “a special government employee” and “has specified duties as outlined in her contract.”

Special government employees are a category of federal worker created to allow the government the flexibility to hire specialists to fill discrete roles, usually on a temporary basis.

Ms. Grisham did not respond to follow-up questions about the particulars of Ms. Winston Wolkoff’s work in the first lady’s office, or her relationship with Mrs. Trump. Ms. Winston Wolkoff could not be reached for comment.

Mr. Barrack praised Ms. Winston Wolkoff, saying she “executed her duties well.”

But Craig Holman, an official with the government watchdog group Public Citizen, which had called on the inaugural committee to release more details about its finances sooner, described the payments to Ms. Winston Wolkoff’s firm and other expenditures as “fiscal mismanagement at its worst.”

Much of the money paid to Ms. Winston Wolkoff’s firm and other event production companies was probably passed through to other vendors that provided goods or services on a subcontractor basis.

An operative who worked with the inaugural committee, who was not authorized to speak for attribution about its spending, said Ms. Winston Wolkoff’s firm handled everything from securing venues and table settings to arranging Instagram filters and satellite feeds, as well as the transportation of heavy equipment. The operative said Ms. Winston Wolkoff personally received $1.62 million for her work through her consulting firm, although committee officials said she used that money to help pay other inaugural workers who reported to her.

An inaugural committee official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the details publicly, said Ms. Winston Wolkoff’s firm also paid the team used by Mark Burnett, the creator of “The Apprentice,” whose involvement in the inaugural festivities was requested by Mr. Trump.