https://www.newsweek.com/trump-campaign-rally-debt-elpaso-albuquerque-1550737Trump Set to Leave Office with at Least $850,000 of Unpaid Campaign Rally BillsWith just weeks until his presidency ends, several cities across the U.S. are still owed payments from Donald Trump's campaign for rallies he held, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Texas city of El Paso said this week that they will be hiring outside legal counsel as part of their fight to obtain more than $500,000 from Trump's team to cover the security and other costs from a rally held there in February 2019.
The outstanding debt includes $470,000 in additional services provided by the local police and fire departments, as well as an additional $99,000 in late fees.
Last year, the Center for Public Integrity included El Paso among a list of 10 cities still waiting for payment from the Trump campaign team for rallies as far back as 2016.
A number of city officials have now confirmed to Newsweek that they have still not received the money that they invoiced, with some accepting that it may never arrive.
The debts range from just a few thousands dollars to more than $200,000 in Albuquerque, with El Paso owed the most of them all.
The city of Burlington, Vermont, confirmed that Trump's team still has not paid the $8,464.27 amount they are owed from a campaign rally he held there in January 2016 before he was elected president.
"Mr Trump's failure to cooperate with local law enforcement officials and lack of communication with the public and ticketholders put undue strain on the City's police, and unnecessarily hurt downtown businesses," Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said in June 2016.
"Paying the invoice remains the right and honorable thing for Mr Trump to do."
Nearly five years later, the city still has not received the money.
"The Trump campaign has not paid the invoices. Our Police and Fire Departments did check in at the time after a month of non-payment had lapsed," Jordan Redell, spokesman for Mayor Weinberger, told Newsweek. "Beyond that point, the City concluded that it would not be cost effective to pursue collections remedies."
One of the main issues surrounding cities asking for payments for campaign rallies is that unless a contract is signed from both sides, there is no legal requirement for political committees to pay for security costs.
The cities dispatch additional police officers and other measures on their own accord for safety reasons as a duty for the public, with Trump's rallies sometimes bringing in tens of thousands of supporters to areas with relatively small populations.
