Tiny Red HandsBack

Pence's Ireland itinerary routes public spending to Trump's Doonbeg resort

Date
2019-09-03
Entry type
official-travel-spending
Current status
Documented public expenditure; no finding that Pence personally received money

Secret Service records show direct payments to the Trump property; a distant Dublin commute also drove a much larger third-party limousine contract.

Entities and roles

Relationships in this file

  1. Donald J. Trumpvice president and running mateMike Pence

Money trail

  1. public costIreland limousine contract$599,454.36
    Public spending source
    U.S. government
    Funds recipient
    Limousine contractor
    Loss or cost borne by
    U.S. taxpayers
    realized · 2020-03-13 · observedPopulation Federal limousine contract associated with the Pence Ireland itineraryPeriod 2019-09-02 to 2019-09-04Basis Use the contract total reported from federal procurement records; keep it separate from payments to the Trump resort.Limits The source does not allocate how much incremental cost resulted specifically from choosing Doonbeg rather than Dublin.Open cited evidence
  2. public costSecret Service payments to Trump Doonbeg$15,144.94
    Public spending source
    U.S. Secret Service
    Funds recipient
    Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Doonbeg
    Loss or cost borne by
    U.S. taxpayers
    realized · 2020-03-13 · observedPopulation Secret Service lodging and related payments to Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Doonbeg for the Pence tripPeriod 2019-09-02 to 2019-09-04Basis Sum the payments in Secret Service records obtained through FOIA as reported by CREW.Limits The records establish government payment to the resort, not personal profit to Donald Trump after expenses.Open cited evidence

Claims and evidence

  1. factdocumented

    During Pence's official Ireland trip, he stayed at Trump's Doonbeg resort roughly 181 miles from meetings in Dublin. Records obtained by CREW show the Secret Service paid the Trump property $15,144.94 and the government paid $599,454.36 for a limousine contract. Pence's office said the location accommodated ancestral-family plans and Trump had only suggested it. The resort payment benefited a Trump property; the larger transport contract went to a separate contractor.