Plans for new FBI headquarters change, could benefit Trump Hotel, say Democrats

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump appears to be more instrumental than previously known in scrapping plans to move the FBI headquarters out of Washington to the D.C. suburbs, according to newly released internal government emails.

Critics say the decision could have financial benefits for the president, whose own hotel is located a block away.

The documents were released Thursday by House Democrats.

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Plans to relocate and rebuild the overcrowded, outdated and crumbling FBI headquarters have been in the works for years -- with government studies showing how it could be moved from downtown D.C. to one of several possible sites in nearby Maryland or Virginia.

The cost: $3.6 billion.

But now a different plan is calling for the FBI headquarters to be rebuilt right where it is -- even though it would be smaller than the suburban alternative, likely have security risks, and be more expensive: $3.8 billion.

A study by the inspector general of the General Services Administration traces a series of meetings in which the suburban plan was pushed aside by the Trump administration, amid claims that keeping the headquarters downtown would be cheaper.

The inspector general's report shows the Trump administration's math is wrong.

Nonetheless, press secretary Sarah Sanders insists: "the president wanted to save the government money and also the FBI leadership did not want to move its headquarters."

Skeptics, however, suspect a hidden motive.

For years, Donald Trump had been all for freeing up that FBI land downtown for private development, with his brand new hotel close by, he even talked about getting in on the action.

But congressional Democrats in a letter to the GSA say something important changed: "After he was sworn in as president -- and became ineligible as a federal employee to obtain the property -- he reportedly became 'dead opposed' to the government selling the property, which would have allowed commercial developers to compete directly with the Trump Hotel... He was directly involved with the decision to abandon the long-term relocation plan and instead move ahead with the more expensive proposal."

There is no proof so far, and the White House insists "once again house Democrats have it all wrong," but those Democrats are demanding the paperwork to prove it.

The inspector general found a Trump administration official may have misled congress about the President's role in all of this, renewing concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

CNN