Trump gave $45,000 holiday gifts to Natalie Harp and two other White House aides

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump offered sizable holiday gifts to four White House aides, according to new financial disclosures issued by the administration.

What happened

Notably, the gifts of $45, 000 each to executive assistant Natalie Harp, communications adviser Margo Martin, and deputy director of Oval Office operations Chamberlain Harris as well as a $20, 000 gift for director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta were observed in the staffers' annual financial disclosure forms that were published by the administration last week. Harp, Martin and Harris create $150, 000 annually and Nauta is paid $175, 000 a year, according to the White House's salary disclosure report to Congress.

In practice, a White House official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, remarked Trump "has a longstanding practice of giving Christmas gifts to people in his orbit, including at times employees and aides, both in government and in his time in the private sector."

The bottom line

In short, trump gave $45, 000 holiday gifts to Natalie Harp and two other White is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.