Trump gave $45,000 cash gifts to Natalie Harp and two other aides, public records show
The White House has described the cash gifts to Harp and three others as personal - and legal.
President Donald Trump gave sizable cash gifts to four White House staffers, including $45,000 (£33,000) to his close aide Natalie Harp, financial disclosures released by his administration show.
Two staff members got the same amount as Harp, while his longtime aide and director of Oval Office Operations, Walt Nauta, received $22,000.
No other White House staffer has declared any gifts from the president, the documents show. Federal employees are prohibited from receiving outside compensation for their duties.
Last month, she was thrust into the national spotlight after she was named as one of a small number of people who stayed with Trump as he secretly swapped planes leaving Turkey last month.