The State Department spent nearly $234,000 on President Trump’s trip last July to his property in Scotland, according to a new report from the department’s inspector general.
Inspector General Steve Linick wrote in a July 22 letter to three Democratic lawmakers that the State Department spent $233,732.86 on overtime, hotels, rental cars and temporary duty costs for a trip to Trump Turnberry from July 14 to July 15, 2018, according to documents obtained by The Hill.
That total does not include costs for which State was reimbursed by the Department of Homeland Security, the letter noted, and therefore reflects only a portion of the overall expense of the trip.
The State Department’s response came almost one year after Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) requested an audit of the trip’s costs from the agency.
“American taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for the President’s excessive and lavish golfing jaunts abroad,” an aide speaking on behalf of the three lawmakers said in a statement.
“The nearly $234,000 identified by the State Department Inspector General represents only a fraction of the total spending for just one weekend at the President’s Scottish golf course last year,” the aide added.
The lawmakers are still awaiting a similar accounting from the Department of Homeland Security detailing its own costs associated with the Turnberry trip. It’s unclear when the report might be issued.
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EXCLUSIVE: State Dept spent $234K on Trump trip to Scotland property, but paid resort $728 for hotel rooms for three officials https://t.co/lsZuRxMCw0 pic.twitter.com/UcBVdW9Hca
— The Hill (@thehill) July 29, 2019
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