A congressional subcommittee is looking in whether a trade association attempted to buy influence with President Donald Trump by booking a large number of rooms at his Washington, D.C., hotel and then not using them, Politico reported Wednesday.

The House Subcommittee on Government Operations plans to investigate allegations that a trade association and foreign government separately reserved a large number of rooms at the Trump International Hotel but never had guests stay in most of them, subcommittee Chairman Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) told the newspaper. The association at the center of the allegations wasn't identified.

"Now we're looking at near raw bribery," Connolly said.

Since he was elected, Trump has faced charges that he is using the presidency to boost his business ventures. The Washington Post has tracked which organizations have booked events at the Trump Hotel, identifying 25 "business interests" among those groups, including the Independent Petroleum Association of America, National Mining Association, National Confectioners Association and Vapor Technology Association. https://wapo.st/2o0PKhf

Connolly didn't disclose details about the investigation other than it was taking place. The White House and Trump Organization declined Politico's requests for comment. https://politi.co/2nikeLc

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