US mission defends costly curtains at UN ambassador’s home

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. mission to the United Nations is defending the installation of costly curtains at the official New York residence of Ambassador Nikki Haley on security grounds. It also says Haley had no say in the matter.

A White House official in the Obama administration, Brett Bruen, first posted to Twitter that the curtains cost over $50,000, spent when the Trump administration was looking to slash the State Department budget.

The U.S. mission said Friday the curtains were chosen and ordered in 2016, outfitting the new residence per standard protocol. This happened before the election of President Donald Trump, who appointed Haley. It added that “the curtains enhance the security of the residence.”

The ambassador’s residence was moved in 2016 from the Waldorf-Astoria after a Chinese insurance group bought the hotel.

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