Carper, Warren, Cummings Request Investigation of Taxpayer Dollars Spent on President Trump’s Stay at Luxury, Trump-Owned Scottish Resort

The trip prior to the Putin summit will reportedly cost U.S. taxpayers up to $1.2 million

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and House Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Member Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) requested an investigation of expenses incurred by the Secret Service and the State Department during President Donald Trump’s recent trip to the Trump Turnberry, a luxury golf resort in Scotland that the President owns.

In letters to the Inspectors General for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State, the lawmakers noted that President Trump made no public appearances and played two rounds of golf during his stay at Trump Turnberry prior to the Helsinki Summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The trip is reportedly set to cost American taxpayers up to $1.2 million, with potentially more than $100,000 in taxpayer dollars going directly to Trump Turnberry.

“This is not the first time that President Trump and his family’s choice of travel accommodations have resulted in exceptionally high costs,” the Members wrote.  “During his first year in office, his frequent weekend trips to his golf resorts in Mar-a-Lago, Florida; Bedminster, New Jersey; and Potomac Falls, Virginia led to a severe depletion of the Secret Service’s budget.  The agency’s bills included at least $137,000 spent renting golf carts at golf courses owned by President Trump.  Recent reporting also found that in one month alone, the Secret Service spent nearly $250,000 to protect the president’s adult sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., as they travelled to Dubai to open a Trump-brand golf club and other foreign destinations.”

Carper, Warren, and Cummings acknowledged that it is necessary for the Secret Service to have the resources needed to protect the First Family and for the State Department to facilitate travel arrangements, but noted that the federal government has an obligation to spend taxpayers’ dollars in a responsible way.

Full text of the letters can be found below.

 

 

July 31, 2018

 

Mr. John V. Kelly
Inspector General (Acting)

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

245 Murray Lane, SW

Washington, D.C. 20528

 

Dear Acting Inspector General Kelly:

 

We write today to request that the Office of the Inspector General conduct an audit of expenses incurred by the Secret Service in relation to President Trump’s visit to the Trump Turnberry, a luxury golf resort in Scotland, from July 14-15, 2018. 

 

During his stay at Trump Turnberry, the President made no public appearances and played two rounds of golf.^[1] Reporting thus far suggests that this cost American taxpayers over $68,000 for hotel rooms, phone lines, rental cars, and a “VIP visit”.^[2] The trip’s total price tag is reportedly set to increase further, up to $1.2 million, with payments to Trump Turnberry potentially exceeding $100,000, when costs are assigned to two remaining open contracts that the U.S. government owes SLC Turnberry Limited, the company that owns the resort.^[3]

 

            This is not the first time that President Trump and his family’s choice of travel accommodations have resulted in exceptionally high costs. During his first year in office, his frequent weekend trips to his golf resorts in Mar-a-Lago, Florida; Bedminster, New Jersey; and Potomac Falls, Virginia led to a severe depletion of the Secret Service’s budget.^[4] The agency’s bills included at least $137,000 spent renting golf carts at golf courses owned by President Trump.^[5] Recent reporting also found that in one month alone, the Secret Service spent nearly $250,000 to protect the president’s adult sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., as they travelled to Dubai to open a Trump-brand golf club and other foreign destinations.^[6]

 

There is no question that the Secret Service is required to protect the President and his family, regardless of where – and how – they choose to spend their time. In order to fulfill our responsibility to ensure the sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars and better understand any instances of waste, fraud, or abuse associated with the President’s stay in Scotland, we request that you conduct an investigation that answers the following questions:

 

1.      How much did the Secret Service spend for the President and his family’s visit to the Trump Turnberry?

2.      How much did Trump Turnberry gain in profits from the Secret Service’s spending for the President and his family’s visit?

3.      How many Secret Service agents travelled with the President and his family to the Trump Turnberry?

4.      How much did the Secret Service spend in overtime pay for agents protecting the President during this visit?

5.      What was the rate that the Secret Service paid for hotel rooms at the Trump Turnberry?

6.      How much did the Secret Service spend to rent golf carts at the Trump Turnberry?

7.      How much did the Secret Service spend on meals and other incidental costs at Trump Turnberry?

8.      What other costs did the Secret Service incur during the president’s visit to Trump Turnberry?

 

 

 Sincerely,

                       

           

           

Tom Carper                                                                 Elizabeth Warren

United States Senator                                                 United States Senator

 

 

 

Elijah E. Cummings

Ranking Member

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

 

 

 

The Honorable Steve A. Linick
Inspector General

U.S. Department of State

1700 North Moore Street

Arlington, VA 22209

 

Dear Inspector General Linick:

 

We write today to request that the Office of the Inspector General conduct an audit of expenses incurred by the State Department in relation to President Trump’s visit to the Trump Turnberry, a luxury golf resort in Scotland, from July 14-15, 2018. 

 

During his stay at Trump Turnberry, the President made no public appearances and played two rounds of golf.^[7] Reporting thus far suggests that this cost American taxpayers over $68,000 for hotel rooms, phone lines, rental cars, and a “VIP visit”.^[8] The trip’s total price tag is reportedly set to increase further, up to $1.2 million, with payments to Trump Turnberry potentially exceeding $100,000, when costs are assigned to two remaining open contracts that the U.S. government owes SLC Turnberry Limited, the company that owns the resort.^[9]

 

            This is not the first time that President Trump and his family’s choice of travel accommodations have resulted in exceptionally high costs. During his first year in office, his frequent weekend trips to his golf resorts in Mar-a-Lago, Florida; Bedminster, New Jersey, and Potomac Falls, Virginia led to a severe depletion of the Secret Service’s budget.^[10] The agency’s bills included at least $137,000 spent renting golf carts at golf courses owned by President Trump.^[11] Recent reporting also found that in one month alone, the Secret Service spent nearly $250,000 to protect the president’s adult sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., as they travelled to Dubai to open a Trump-brand golf club and other foreign destinations.^[12]

 

There is no question that the State Department must help arrange international travel for the President and his family, regardless of where – and how – they choose to spend their time. In order to fulfill our responsibility to ensure the sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars and better understand any instances of waste, fraud, or abuse associated with the President’s stay in Scotland, we request that you conduct an investigation that answers the following questions:

 

1.      How much did the State Department spend to arrange for, staff, and otherwise facilitate the President and his family during their stay at the Trump Turnberry?

2.  How much did Trump Turnberry gain in profits from the State Department’s spending for the President and his family’s visit?

3.  How much in total will the State Department pay the Trump Turnberry?

4.  What was the rate that the State Department paid for hotel rooms at the Trump Turnberry?

5.  Did the State Department compare the prices at the Trump Turnberry with prices at any other hotels in the area? If not, why not?

6.  What was the nature and purpose of the April 2018 “VIP visit” to the Trump Turnberry?

7.  How much did the State Department spend on meals and other incidental costs at Trump Turnberry?

8.  What other costs did the State Department incur related to the president’s visit to Trump Turnberry?

 

  Sincerely,

                       

           

Tom Carper                                                                 Elizabeth Warren

United States Senator                                                 United States Senator

 

 

 

Elijah E. Cummings

Ranking Member

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform