A slew of charges to the U.S. government associated with overseas travels undertaken by the former president’s son Eric have now been revealed by The Scotsman, which relied on records obtained by the government watchdog group known as American Oversight. These charges were billed in large part by former President Donald Trump’s own businesses, meaning that — yet again — the former president profited off of the presidency via taxpayer dollars. Trump never financially disconnected himself from his businesses while in office.
As summarized by The Scotsman:
‘As well as footing the bill for stays at Trump’s South Ayrshire resort, the records show US taxpayers stumped up several thousand pounds for luxury car rentals during a visit to Scotland by Trump’s son Eric.’
Trump has two properties where the charges in question were incurred, including a resort in Turnberry, which is in the South Ayrshire area in Scotland, and another property in Doonbeg, which is in Ireland. New revelations shared by The Scotsman include a Turnberry bill for the Secret Service from August 14, 2017 for £5,400. Although the exact date of the stay was redacted in the released records, Eric Trump and a number of guests visited the Trump family’s golf properties in the area the month prior. The Secret Service also spent £6,042 at a Glasgow-based car rental service in July of that year.
After the Scotland stay, Eric and his guests went to Ireland, where Trump’s Doonbeg property charged the Secret Service for £5,310 in July that year, which came shortly after an April charge to the Secret Service from the Doonbeg hotel for another £6,680. This stream of charges to the U.S. government from Trump’s businesses continued for four years. Austin Evers, who serves as executive director at American Oversight, commented as follows:
‘No-one objects to the Trump family receiving Secret Service protection, but every time they charge their security detail to stay at a Trump hotel, thousands of taxpayer dollars line their pockets. If Eric is going to visit Scotland in the future, the public should demand he find less kleptocratic accommodations.’
Across Trump’s time in office, Trump’s Turnberry property brought in nearly £300,000 from the Secret Service, because the former president’s businesses have consistently charged the government for using its properties while protecting the ex-commander-in-chief and his family members. £300,000 equates to over $417,000. In other words — those smaller charges add up, big time. The Washington Post reported in October of last year that, as of that point, the Trump Organization had taken in some $2.5 million in taxpayer money in connection to charges like these, which represents a staggering level of self-dealing by Trump.
Trump could soon face legal consequences over potential corruption at his business. Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance has been conducting a criminal investigation into issues including possible fraud at the company, and not too long ago, Vance’s team successfully obtained years of Trump’s tax returns after the former president’s attempt to block the records transfer failed.
