Senate Democrats on Wednesday demanded that a South Korean company explain why it paid $2 million to President Donald Trump’s holding company while it was embroiled in a trade dispute with his administration, writing that the transaction “raises significant concerns about pay-to-play politics and the potential for bribery.”
The payment from Base Group Ltd. was described in the president’s June financial disclosure as part of a “letter of intent” and a “nonrefundable development fee.” Base Group is a key investor in Korea Aluminium, one of several companies that the Commerce Department accused of circumventing tariffs imposed on Chinese aluminum.
“If Base Group were attempting to buy influence with President Trump in an effort to secure lower tariffs or special-interest exemptions for Korea Aluminium, it would be a particularly egregious example of Trump Administration corruption,” wrote Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts), Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut) and Andy Kim (New Jersey) in a letter first reported by The Washington Post.
The probe offers a preview of how Democrats might leverage their power in Congress if they regain the House of Representatives or the Senate in the midterms. As they accuse the Trump administration of corruption on the campaign trail, Democrats have launched multiple probes into the Trump family’s business empire and corporations that have sought to curry favor with the administration.
Trump’s expansive portfolio and the global transactions of his family business have no other parallel in modern American history, creating unprecedented ethical questions.
In the past month, Warren and other Democrats have also launched investigations into a Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture and a new paid service that will give investors faster access to Trump’s market-moving social media posts. On Wednesday, she sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, asking whether the administration’s decision to ease export controls on the United Arab Emirates was influenced by UAE-linked investments in the Trump family’s crypto venture.
The Trump Organization said on Wednesday night that the payment from Base Group was related to an August 2025 letter of intent for the management of a golf course. Base Group was selected “based solely on its experience and the extraordinary quality and location of the project,” the statement said.
“Any suggestion that this transaction was driven by anything other than legitimate business considerations is pure fiction,” a Trump Organization spokesperson said.
The White House and Base Group did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the investigation.
The Commerce Department issued a preliminary finding shortly after the president’s financial disclosure was released that would impose a 105 percent tariff on exports from Korean Aluminium — nearly four times the current rate.
“If the Trump Administration were to provide relief from these penalties, it would represent a substantial financial windfall for Base Group,” the senators wrote.
The White House told The Post in July that the payment from the South Korean company was not a conflict of interest, stating that the Commerce Department’s probe had been governed by a “transparent, quasi-judicial process that is laid out in statute.”
“Further, all of the President’s assets are held in fully discretionary accounts managed by independent third-party financial institutions,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement.
The Trump Organization, the Commerce Department, Base and Korea Aluminium have not responded to The Post’s inquiries about the payment. The New York Times first reported the transaction.
The Democratic senators wrote that the payment fits a pattern of companies receiving favorable policy outcomes following donations to entities associated with the president, including his campaign fund and ballroom project. They cited tariff exemptions granted to Apple after CEO Tim Cook donated $1 million to the president’s inauguration celebrations.
The post Senate Democrats probe Korean firm’s $2 million payment to Trump company appeared first on Washington Post.
