Trump ambassador pick committed to fund Mar-a-Lago gala days after nomination

One of President Trump’s ambassador nominees reportedly committed thousands of dollars to fund a gala at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, just two weeks after he was tapped for the administration post.

Leandro Rizzuto Jr., Trump’s pick to be ambassador to Barbados and other Caribbean nations, committed along with his wife to be “underwriters” for the gala at the club, which will take place next year, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

The event is the Trumpettes USA gala, intended for a group of socialites and Trump supporters whose galas generally raise money that goes to Mar-a-Lago, according to the Post.

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Trumpettes founder Toni Holt Kramer told the Post that Rizzuto and his wife, Denise, had pledged to support the event at the “presidential” level, the highest level of support possible.

Kramer declined to say how much the couple had committed to giving, but said that kind of pledge would likely be “upwards of probably $15,000 or $20,000 or $25,000.”

She said the Rizzutos made the pledge around the time of the first Trumpettes gala on Jan. 18. That places the commitment about two weeks after Trump nominated Rizzuto for the ambassadorship.

Rizzuto, a senior executive at Conair, will have to be confirmed by the Senate for the post.

The White House and Rizzuto did not return the Post’s requests for comment.

Rizzuto is already facing scrutiny after CNN reported that he shared unfounded conspiracy theories about Trump’s political opponents during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Tags Donald Trump Donald Trump

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