Taxpayers Reportedly Funneled $5,700 Into Donald Trump’s Vancouver Hotel For Donald Jr.’s Sheep Hunting Trip
American taxpayers reportedly picked up the tab as Donald Trump Jr. traveled to Canada for a sheep-hunting trip, with $5,700 being filtered directly back into Donald Trump’s company.
As Politico reported, the president’s eldest son flew to Canada for one of his visits to the Yukon mountains, where he regularly travels on hunting trips. This August 2017 trip included some of Donald Jr.’s friends as well as a contingent of Secret Service agents, who guard members of Trump’s family. Documents obtained by the news outlet found that the contingent stayed at several hotels in Vancouver, including the Trump Organization’s own Trump International Hotel and Tower Vancouver.
Documents showed that during Donald Trump Jr.’s sheep hunting trip, the Secret Service spent $5,700 at the Trump International Hotel and Tower, with the overall trip costing a total of $16,600.
As the report noted, the frequent trips for Donald Trump’s adult children have drawn scrutiny as they frequently stay at properties owned directly by Trump.
“Critics say the Trumps are using the presidency to boost the president’s businesses by forcing the federal government to spend taxpayer money at Trump properties,” the report noted, adding, “Congress hasn’t launched a formal investigation into federal spending at Trump properties, but some House Democrats are eyeing it as a future area for congressional examination.”
Donald Trump’s own spending has come under intense scrutiny as well. The president regularly stays at his Mar-a-Lago resort while it is in season and takes golf trips to his properties at a rate of nearly twice a week. An analysis from NBC News conducted in April found that Donald Trump had visited golf clubs more than 200 times over just a little more than two years in office.
NEW: The Trump administration spent nearly $5,700 at the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Vancouver, Canada while protecting Donald Trump Jr. who was hunting stone sheep in the Yukon Mountains, according to documents obtained by @POLITICO https://t.co/o1LOnTHeJO
— Anita Kumar (@anitakumar01) August 14, 2019
The report added that it is difficult to pinpoint the exact number of times that Donald Trump has gone golfing, as his administration has taken steps to hide Trump’s public schedule and often keeps the press pool away when he is traveling to golf clubs. They instead rely on other public reports, which include tweets from Trump’s famous golf partners who often brag about playing a private round with the president.
Donald Trump refused to divest from his business, as past presidents have done, and instead said that he was leaving it in control of his adult sons. Critics say this has created a conflict of interest as President Trump continues to profit from the companies, creating a potential source for bribes from foreign officials looking to curry favor with the president.
