In recent weeks, Trump pulled U.S. soldiers out of northern Syria, paving the way for an invasion by Turkey that targeted Kurdish forces. A second official with the religious group, administrator Charlene Struebing, said Trump International Hotel staff expressed “security concerns.” Critics of FAI’s decision to hold its event at the Trump hotel had planned to protest outside, she said. “They said they’ve gotten a lot of security concerns and they couldn’t accommodate enough security,” Struebing said. “I think it’s more related to people protesting our event than it was anything we were doing.”The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment. FAI leaders said their goal was not to fund the Trump Organization but rather to use the venue to raise awareness about the Kurdish plight and transcend partisan differences.

Source: Washington Post October 22, 2019 23:15 UTC