Five senior Democrats in the US Congress have questioned what they say is a plan put forward by the Donald Trump administration to build a new FBI headquarters across the street from the Trump Hotel in downtown Washington.
In a letter to Emily Murphy, head of the public services department that runs the government buildings, the five Democrats said they had serious concerns about Trump's "sudden decision" to abandon a previous plan to move the FBI headquarters from central Washington to its suburbs.
The Democrats, who are members of House of Representatives investigative committees, said Trump had moved over years before he took office to move the FBI away from his current headquarters so he could buy the land and redevelop the building.
Democrats said that after Trump had taken power and was ineligible to buy the land, he was "strongly opposed" to the government's sale of the FBI to other developers who might be competing with the Trump International Hotel.
The president wanted to keep the government's money as well as the FBI leadership whose headquarters were not moved, "White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.
Some of the Democrats who signed the letter will help lead an investigation with Trump if their party takes control of the House of Representatives in the November 6 midterm elections.
