Donald Trump is 'running a criminal enterprise out of the White House', says former US governor

'There hasn't been a president in my lifetime who's done anything like this,' Howard Dean says

Donald Trump is “running a criminal enterprise out of the White House” - a former US governor has claimed.

Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean accused Mr Trump of corruption during a discussion about the President’s frequent visits to his own properties. Mr Trump has spent nearly a third of his days in office at a property owned by his company, according to a Wall Street Journal review.

“The promotion is extraordinary,” Mr Dean, who previously served as chair of the Democratic party, told MSNBC. “There hasn’t been a president in my lifetime who's done anything like this.”

Mr Dean also accused the President’s staff of “shaking down foreign governments” to hold their events at the new Trump International Hotel in Washington DC.

The Trump Organisation has promised to donate any money that foreign governments spend at the hotel to charity, to avoid violating the emoluments clause of the constitution.

Still, Mr Dean suggested that Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed by the Justice Department to investigate possible Trump campaign collusion with Russia, would find something nefarious in the President’s business dealings.

“I’ve said for a long time, I think [Mr Trump] is running a criminal enterprise out of the White House,” Mr Dean said. “And I think that’s what Bob Mueller’s on the track of.”

Mr Trump has spent more than 100 days at a Trump Organisation-owned property since taking office, according to the Journal. This includes 40 days at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, and 40 days at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

While previous Presidents have also spent time at their own properties while in office, Mr Trump’s properties are uniquely open to the public, and to profit.

“George W Bush went to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, a lot, but it’s not like you could rent the bedroom next to his,” Jordan Libowitz, a spokesman for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told the Journal.

Mr Trump turned the Trump Organisation’s management over to his sons upon taking office. He retained ownership in the company, however, meaning he will eventually be able to profit from his holdings.

Mr Trump departed last Friday for a 10-day holiday vacation to Mar-a-Lago. While the President has not announced his New Year’s Eve plans, he is widely expected to attend the resort’s annual year-end gala.

The price of a ticket for the red-carpet event has increased by up to $175 this year, according to Politico. The tickets are now $600 for dues-paying members and $750 for their guests, members of the private club said. Last year’s tickets cost $525 for members and $575 for guests. One Mar-a-Lago member said the event is nearly sold out.

“I personally don’t see any issues that are raised,” Bobby Burchfield, the Trump Organisation’s outside ethics adviser, told Politico. “It’s not a campaign event. It’s a normal business New Year’s Eve party.”