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A month before President Trump was inaugurated, lobbyists funded by the Saudi government spent more than $270,000 renting rooms at the Trump International Hotel as part of an initiative to send groups of veterans to Capitol Hill to lobby on its behalf, the Washington Post reports.
The big picture: Veterans who participated in the "fly-in" trip were offered free rooms and dinners at the luxury hotel before heading to the Hill to meet with lawmakers, where they claimed a law alleging the Saudi government bore some blame for 9/11 would pave the way for retaliation from other countries. Lobbyists said they chose the Trump hotel because it offered a discount for veterans, but the case is nonetheless being used in an emoluments lawsuit that accuses Trump of profiting off the presidency.