Warren, Blumenthal, Kim Investigate Korean Conglomerate’s $2 Million Payment to Trump Company Amid Questions About Corruption, Bribery

Base Group paid Trump $2 million while under investigation by Trump admin for possible efforts to avoid international tariffs “The secretive nature and timing of this massive payment raises questions about whether Base Group is making direct payments to President Trump’s companies in an attempt to…secure lucrative tariff exemptions” Text of Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Andy Kim (D-N.J.) probed Korean company Base Group’s mysterious $2 million payment to President Trump while under a trade-related investigation by the Trump administration, raising concerns about pay-to-play politics and bribery. In a new letter to Base Group Chairman Kim Sung-jip, the lawmakers pressed the company for answers on the suspiciously-timed payment. “The secretive nature and timing of this massive payment raises questions about whether Base Group is making direct payments to President Trump’s companies in an attempt to influence Commerce Department proceedings or otherwise secure lucrative tariff exemptions,” wrote the lawmakers . President Trump’s recently-released 2025 financial disclosures revealed Base Group paid him $2 million through a holding company, which the company claims is tied to a “still unannounced golf course project.” Base Group has reportedly spent nearly a decade courting the Trump family, including through repeated meetings with Eric Trump, importing Trump-branded wine to South Korea from President Trump’s Virginia vineyard, and trips to President Trump’s Doral golf course and to attend his inauguration. In 2023, federal regulators determined Korea Aluminium, a subsidiary of Base Group, was attempting to avoid anti-dumping tariffs, which were meant to stop the flow of artificially low-priced Chinese aluminum. Last year, the Commerce Department imposed penalties on Korea Aluminium in response to the 2023 finding. Now, Korea Aluminium is once again under scrutiny, with the Commerce Department issuing a preliminary ruling that could quadruple tariffs on Korea Aluminium’s exports to 105.8 percent. “If the Trump administration were to provide relief from these penalties, it would represent a substantial financial windfall for Base Group…[this] raises significant concerns about pay-to-play politics and the potential for bribery,” said the lawmakers . Multiple corporate executives who have given lucrative gifts or contributed to President Trump’s vanity projects have seemingly received favorable policy outcomes. Apple , NVIDIA , and Rolex have all secured favorable treatment after gifting President Trump lavish gifts or donating money to his inauguration. “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,” concluded the lawmakers . The coalition asked Base Group to explain whether it had any conversations with President Trump, his family, or business entities related to the $2 million payment by August 21, 2026. Senator Warren has long conducted oversight on the Trump family’s apparent attempts to profit from their government roles: In July 2026, Senators Warren and Blumenthal, along with Representative Stansbury, opened an investigation into reports that Softbank Group’s (Softbank) recently donated $50 million to the Trump Presidential Library — the largest publicly disclosed contribution to the Library and a possible attempt to curry political favor. In March 2026, Senator Warren released a new response from the Department of Defense (DoD) indicating that there are no effective processes in place to prevent possible conflicts of interest and corruption involving President Donald Trump’s family and the Department’s awarding of defense contracts. In a new letter, she and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) pressed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on this failure and pushed for answers regarding Trump’s sons’ latest investment in Powerus, a drone company. In September 2025, Senator Warren pressed the CEO of Rolex on why the company invited President Trump to be Rolex’s guest at the finals of the U.S. Open Tennis Championship earlier this month — just weeks after President Trump announced 39 percent tariffs on Swiss imports. In July 2025, Senator Warren pushed the CEOs of Amazon, Meta, Tesla, Apple, and Alphabet , on their attempts to secure billion-dollar tax handouts paid for by ripping away health care coverage, food assistance, and other services from millions of American families. In May 2025, Senator Warren wrote to Pilgrim’s Pride and JBS USA (the parent company of Pilgrim’s Pride), pushing them to explain Pilgrim’s Pride $5 million donation to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, the single largest donation — bigger than Amazon, Meta, and Google’s donations combined. In April 2025, Senator Warren pressed Tim Cook about reports that spoke with Trump administration officials to win an exemption to Trump’s China tariffs, worth billions of dollars for Apple. In April 2025, on the 100th day of the second Trump administration, Senator Warren read 100 reports of corruption from President Trump’s term into the Congressional record, pointing to all the ways President Trump and his family have used the presidency to enrich themselves, give favors to donors, and made it more difficult to hold him accountable for corruption. ###