The bags contained dozens of items purchased with government funds, including leather portfolios, pewter trays and marble trinket boxes emblazoned with the presidential seal or the signatures of Mr. Trump’s political appointees walked off with gift bags worth thousands of dollars that were meant for foreign leaders at the Group of 7 summit planned for Camp David in 2020, which was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The State Department’s inspector general is investigating allegations that Mr. The tale of the furs is but one example of how gift exchanges between the United States and foreign leaders - a highly regulated process intended to shield administrations from questions of impropriety - devolved into sometimes risible shambles during the Trump administration. Officials at the Saudi Embassy in Washington declined to comment.
“Wildlife inspectors and special agents determined the linings of the robes were dyed to mimic tiger and cheetah patterns and were not comprised of protected species,” said Tyler Cherry, a spokesman for the Interior Department, which oversees the U.S. The furs, from an oil-rich family worth billions of dollars, were fake.
