Melania Trump was paid for an unusual appearance at a political event. It is unclear who wrote the six-figure check.

(CNN) – Melania Trump is not campaigning this year. In one of the few times she appeared at a political event, she received a six-figure salary, which is highly unusual for a candidate’s wife.

The former first lady of the United States has attended two political fundraisers for Log Cabin Republicans this year, taking in $237,500 for one event in April. Latest Financial Disclosure Form Former President Donald Trump. The payment was classified as “Speech Confirmation”.

Trump’s most recent disclosure form said Melania Trump received money from the Log Cabin Republicans for an April fundraiser. But who actually wrote the check is a mystery: Charles Moran, chairman of the Log Cabin Republicans, told CNN earlier this month that the group did not pay him to speak, and the disclosure form did not provide more information. About the source of payment.

At least one request about a similar fee was made to a donor before another fundraiser in July for a conservative LGBTQ group, a person familiar with the matter said. It is unclear whether Melania Trump ultimately received the payment. The campaign did not release financial statements for the period. Former ambassador to Germany and Trump ally Rick Grenell made the request on Melania Trump’s behalf, the source told CNN. Grenell has helped the former first lady with other business ventures, sources said.

Campaign finance and government ethics experts say appearances at political fundraisers in elections for a presidential candidate’s wife are unusual, ethically questionable and, at a minimum, should be properly accounted for on disclosure forms.

“It seems very selfish. In general, I’m not used to seeing that,” said Virginia Cantor, chief ethics counsel for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics.

If the organization didn’t actually pay Melania Trump, the former president’s financial disclosure form could violate ethics rules because it would have to identify the sponsor who paid Melania Trump, not just where she spoke, Cantor said.

“You can state that you were paid for a speech for Log Cabin Republicans, but you also have to disclose who the source of the payment was. Otherwise, you can’t assess conflicts of interest, and that doesn’t comply with the rules,” he said. ”

Sources close to Melania Trump, who attended Log Cabin Republican Party events and did not know she charged one of them, supported her by saying it was her right to spend her time and get paid for it. A person close to Melania Trump said she decided “my highest and best use is where I am,” adding that “she is an invaluable and eternal asset to Donald Trump.”

A spokeswoman for Melania Trump declined to answer CNN’s questions.

Melania Trump received $250,000 for a log cabin Republican event in December 2022, three of her speaking payments that month were $250,000 or more, according to Donald Trump’s financial disclosure form from the previous year after he announced his re-election bid. One of the events took place in Florida, and the other was by the California group Fix California, founded by Grenell. Grenell did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Even the former First Lady Received US$155,000 From a Trump-aligned super-PAC called Make America Great Again, Again — for a December 2021 speech in Palm Beach, Florida — before Trump became the nominee.

He has a history of appearing at Log Cabin Republican events: he was there in 2021 Guest of Honor The group’s annual Spirit of Lincoln Gala.

Fundraising appearances also highlight Melania Trump He has been campaigning for a while This year. In addition to two appearances with the Log Cabin Republican, she appeared in one film with her husband Funding was raised by billionaire investor John Paulson He made a brief appearance at the Republican National Convention in Palm Beach, although he did not speak as he did in 2016. There is no indication that Paulson was paid to appear at the fundraiser.

“He’s been so disconnected from this campaign, so in his absence, you can see him saying, ‘If I’m going to spend my time, I’m going to get paid for this,'” said former Trump campaigner Stephanie Grisham. -term White House press secretary and senior adviser to Melania Trump, a critic of the former president. “Even when we were in the White House, she was always very concerned about people making money from her, because she felt that it was money that she had to make.”

While in the White House in 2018, Grisham said Melania Trump instructed her staff to order the gift shop next to the White House to stop selling things like big-headed dolls without permission.

“She was furious. She didn’t like that they were making money off her,” Grisham said.

Donald Trump’s financial disclosures show the former first lady earned more than $330,000 last year from a licensing deal for the sale of digital trading cards, or NFTs. Her website sells jewelry and other collectibles.

Additionally, the former first lady will release her memoir next month and embark on a promotional tour independent of the campaign. In one Short video series To promote his book

“I can’t help but wonder why law enforcement did not arrest the attacker before the speech,” he said. In one of the videosTrump was referring to a gunman who opened fire at a rally on July 13 before being killed by the Secret Service.

Melania Trump isn’t the only person who gets paid when the Trump family is in the political spotlight. Kimberly Guilfoyle Earned US$60,000 as a speaker For introducing Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. at the “Stop the Steel” rally before the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. His speech lasted less than three minutes.

It is not unheard of for former government officials to receive speaking and appearance fees at non-political fundraising events.

Former US President Bill Clinton and former First Lady Hillary Clinton were paid salaries Over US$153 million in spoken word The former Secretary of State from 2001 to 2016 launched his presidential campaign. Former President Barack Obama reportedly earned $400,000 from a speech at a Wall Street healthcare conference in 2017. Attracted criticism Members of his own party at the time. In the two years since he left the vice presidency and before launching his presidential campaign, Joe and Jill Biden won. A total of 15.6 million US dollarsMainly for book deals and speaking engagements.

But representatives for Jill Biden, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Bill Clinton say they did not charge for any fundraising appearances during political campaigns.

The US president’s son, Hunter Biden, is being investigated for selling works of art at a gallery in Manhattan, valued at US$85,000 each. Last springWhen his father was a candidate for re-election.

By all accounts, this year’s Log Cabin Republican fundraiser was a success. Grenell posted on July X that the former first lady “opened up her New York penthouse tonight to raise money for the group.”

“This is the first campaign event to be held at the Trump House,” he wrote. “We have raised USD 1.4 million overnight. Our goal is to get 50% of the gay vote for Donald Trump.

When Melania Trump spoke at a Mar-a-Lago rally in April, the organization launched its “Road to Victory” program to target voters in swing states. Politics.

–CNN’s Fredreka Schouten contributed to this article.