Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Michael (Mike) Richard PompeoWatchdog confirms State Dept. canceled award for journalist who criticized Trump Trump's push for win with Sudan amps up pressure on Congress Putin nominated for Nobel Peace Prize MORE joked about the grandeur of President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE's hotel in Washington, D.C., on Friday while speaking at an event hosted at the facility, quipping that the hotel's owner must be "successful."

Speaking at the Concerned Women for America's (CWA) 40th anniversary event at the Trump International Hotel, Pompeo opened his remarks to the conservative women's group with a quip about the hotel's ownership.

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"I look around. This is such a beautiful hotel. The guy who owns it must ... [is] gonna be successful somewhere along the way," Pompeo joked, drawing laughs from the crowd.

"That was for The Washington Post," he added, acknowledging members of the news media covering his remarks at the Trump property.

"I look around. This is such a beautiful hotel. The guy who owns it must gonna be successful somewhere along the way. That was for the Washington Post."@SecPompeo opens @CWforA #cwa40th remarks at @TrumpDC



full video here: https://t.co/MBlXk9E9xn pic.twitter.com/URJc5u1hk8 — Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) September 13, 2019

Vice President Pence also spoke at the event Thursday night and joked that Trump was "jealous" that he could not attend the gathering himself. "I’ve just literally left him in the Oval Office and told him I was headed your way. And I think he — I think he sounded just a little bit jealous," Pence said of Trump on Thursday night, according to a transcript. During his remarks Friday, Pence also pledged Trump and the White House's support for the CWA's socially-conservative agenda, telling the crowd that "the CWA, I would argue, has never had a greater champion, a greater fighter for our values in the Oval Office." Pompeo's reference to The Post came after the newspaper joined other outlets this week to report on Pence and Pompeo's scheduled appearance at the event being held at the Trump property.

The newspaper cited spokespeople for both Trump administration officials who defended their scheduled speeches, maintaining the appearances didn't direct money to Trump's hotel since the hosting group picked the venue being inviting the two officials.

Trump's properties including the D.C. hotel have been a subject of controversy since the beginning of his presidency, as Trump refused to sell his business and instead placed the Trump Organization into a trust controlled by his adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. Don John Trump'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic requests pardon from Trump: 'Be my hero please' Zaid Jilani discusses Trump's move to cancel racial sensitivity training at federal agencies Trump International Hotel in Vancouver closes permanently MORE and Eric Trump Eric Frederick TrumpJudge orders Eric Trump to comply with New York AG's subpoena before Election Day Eric Trump uses misleading clip to blast Biden for using teleprompter Melania Trump: Ginsburg's 'spirit will live on in all she has inspired' MORE.

Critics have argued that patronage of Trump's properties from foreign officials and domestic political organizations including Republican groups constitute violations of the constitution's Emoluments Clause, which forbids gifts to public officials.

A lawsuit filed by Democratic lawmakers alleging that Trump has violated the Emoluments Clause is making its way through the court system, and a New York appeals court ruled Friday that a lawsuit in the state that had been dismissed by a lower court could go forward.