Posted on 09/11/2015 7:06:42 PM PDT by Libloather
President Obama and his entourage will break with tradition and not stay at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel during the United Nations General Assembly this month, the White House said.
The iconic hotel was sold by Hilton Worldwide Holdings to a Chinese conglomerate in 2014, prompting concerns about espionage and security. Obama and his team of advisers will stay at the Lotte New York Palace hotel instead.
“I can confirm the report that the president will stay — and the rest of the U.S. delegation will stay at the New York Palace Hotel,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.
The news was first reported by The Associated Press.
The move has long been rumored, but was made official on Friday. Earnest said “there are a range of considerations that influence where the president will stay while away from the White House” including “security.”
U.S. fears about Chinese espionage have spiked following a major hack of the Office of Professional Management, which exposed sensitive personal data belonging to millions of government workers. China is widely believed to have been behind the hack.
In response, the Obama administration is reportedly weighing sanctions against Chinese interests or companies. The issue of cybersecurity is expected to be a focal point of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the U.S. later this month.
“could always stay at Trump’s place.”
That’s the first thing that came to my mind - I’m sure Mr. Trump will give him a great “deal”.
Here’s a link to the NY Palace Hotel - I clicked on Rooms and Suites and selected the largest suite - 5,000 s.f.
http://www.lottenypalace.com/towers/rooms-list
Yea, he’s not going to let them get classified information for free. He will do like the clintons and sell it.
It’s fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A!
Ugh. One block west — midtown traffic just got worse.
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