US probing whether Trump aides took gifts meant for foreign officials

The United States has launched an investigation to find out whether some aides to former President Donald Trump took gifts that were meant to be given to foreign officials.

The State Department Office of Inspector General is reportedly on the case to see if they took thousands of dollars’ worth of gift bags that were meant for leaders attending the Group of Seven (G-7) Summit.

A State Department spokesperson told The Hill that the agency “takes seriously its role in reporting the disposition of certain gifts received by US Government employees. These gifts are the property of the American people and must be accounted for accurately.”

Trump-controlled White House canceled a G7 summit that was supposed to take place at Camp David last year in June, allegedly allowing some aides to take away portfolios, pewter trays and marble trinket boxes meant for those invited to the event.

However, some of the gifts are reportedly unaccounted for, with rumors going around that Trump aides took them away.

“With that responsibility in mind, we conduct the necessary due diligence before filing the required reports with the Federal Register,” the spokesperson continued. “As we noted in the most recent report, we are investigating the whereabouts of gifts that are unaccounted for and the circumstances that led to their disappearance.”

The investigation comes as confrontation is heating up between the former president and the current one, President Joe Biden, in the lead-up to the 2022 and the 2024 elections, in which Trump is hoping to play a major role.

Many believe that the former president has already started his 2024 campaign after being dealt a loss by his Democratic contender, now-President Joe Biden.

Ever since, he has refused to concede defeat and blamed his defeat on election fraud, allegations rejected by US courts.