WASHINGTON, 09 October 2021, (TON): Former US President Donald Trump "grossly exaggerated" the profitability of his Washington DC hotel, a probe by a congressional committee has found.

It also said “he appeared to hide potential conflicts of interest.”

The Trump International Hotel lost over $70m (£51.3m) during his term, though Mr Trump had previously claimed it earned at least $150m during that time.

The Trump Organization has denied wrongdoing and called the report "misleading".

In a statement, the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform said that documents provided by the General Services Administration (GSA) - which oversees federal spending - showed that Mr Trump had "grossly exaggerated the financial health" of the hotel.

The committee said “losses forced Mr Trump's holding company to inject at least $24m to help the struggling hotel, located just a few blocks from the White House.”

The report also found Mr Trump seemed to have "concealed potential conflicts of interest" related to his ownership of the hotel and his roles as its lender and the guarantor of third-party loans.

Newly obtained documents show that the hotel received $3.7m in payments from foreign governments - enough to cover 7,400 nights at the hotel on an average daily rate, according to the committee.

The lawmakers said that the amount raised concerns about potential violations of constitutional regulations aimed at preventing foreign influence on federal officials.