A senior White House aide, Lynne Patton, has been filmed in a sexually charged video aboard a Republican donor's yacht in Florida, playing with a vibrator alongside Washington lobbyist Ryan Coyne, who filmed the incident. Coyne was later named in Justice Department filings as a registered foreign agent, raising concerns given his closeness to Patton, who holds a senior policy role in the Trump administration and has reportedly been living in Coyne's Virginia flat throughout her time in office. The Daily Mail reports that the arrangement has caused unease among White House officials, though senior figures have been reluctant to intervene given Patton's long-standing ties to Eric and Lara Trump.

The footage was reportedly taken on 6 February 2025, the same night as a Mar-a-Lago charity gala for St Jude Children's Research Hospital that raised around $7 million. Coyne, 38, was registered in May 2025 under the Foreign Agents Registration Act to lobby on behalf of the Vietnamese embassy and a Vietnamese company, reportedly aiming to reduce a proposed 46% US tariff on Vietnamese goods. Patton, 52, is Deputy Assistant to the President for Coalition Policy and Engagement; sources stress that her relationship with Coyne is not romantic, though multiple insiders, including reportedly Susie Wiles, have voiced concern over the arrangement.