Donald Trump has done a lot of things: building a real estate empire, hosting The Apprentice, running for president on the “build a wall” and “ban all Muslims” platforms, and now apparently, eavesdropping on people at his estate like some soap opera villain. At least that’s what sources tell BuzzFeed: that Trump uses a console next to his bed that’s connected to every phone at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
According to BuzzFeed sources, workers at Mar-a-Lago were warned that Trump could listen in on their phone calls. They were told to be aware that he would likely eavesdrop whenever he was on the property, where he has a private apartment. The rest of the club rooms, in Palm Beach, Fla., were for paying guests. This is reportedly how Trump tried to monitor Mar-a-Lago employees:
A second source said he had direct knowledge that Trump “could pick up the phone in the bedroom and listen to any conversation that was going on.” This person said Trump used it “to eavesdrop.” This source said that some staff, who used a separate switchboard, knew when Trump was listening in on calls, because when he did, a light on that switchboard would come on.
These sources don’t say as much, but they make it sound like Trump wanted to keep them in line with the threat of listening in. Sometimes, he even discussed what he overheard with them, or that they could see him listening in on another switchboards. As to whether this behavior is illegal, legal experts say if it concerns work calls, then probably not.
The former director of security at the estate defends Trump though, saying he had a switchboard merely to dial out. And his former butler said he didn’t want to go through the operator to call his friends staying as guests while there. This sounds a little fishy, but all in all, this is probably not the worst thing that Trump has done by far.
(via BuzzFeed)