POLITICIZED

D.C. Police Union Rents Out Trump Hotel for Holiday Party, Angering Some Members

Union leaders affiliated with the Fraternal Order of Police lodge for the District say there’s still “bad blood” between Trump and area officers.

A umbrella group for D.C. police unions reportedly rented out space in the Trump International Hotel for its annual holiday party—a move that was met with backlash from some members. According to The Washington Post, the U.S. Park Police, U.S. Capitol Police and officers at the District’s juvenile correctional facilities spoke out against the decision, which was made by the Fraternal Order of Police lodge for the District. “There’s a lot of people who are, quite frankly, furious about it,” Park Police union chair Michael Shalton told the Post, adding that many officers were still displeased about how they were treated during the government shutdown last winter. “We went six weeks without a paycheck because of this administration, and you want us to have a Christmas party there? Come on. There’s a lot of bad blood.” Tickets to the event were $35 last year, but now they’re $175 per couple.

The president of the Fraternal Order of Police’s (FOP) D.C. lodge did not say why the event’s venue changed to President Trump’s hotel this year, but union leaders told the newspaper that the hotel gave the lodge the best deal. This comes after Trump nominated former national FOP president to head up the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.