Why the Secret Service spent thousands at a Trump hotel

It so infuriates me that this smart-mouth little pissant is being protected as he jots around the world.




Why the Secret Service spent thousands at a Trump hotel


https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/14/secret-service-donald-trump-jr-canada-hotel-1459051
The Secret Service stayed at a Trump hotel in Vancouver while protecting Donald Trump Jr. on a hunting trip to Canada.


By ANITA KUMAR

08/14/2019 05:22 AM EDT




In June, the House passed a spending bill that would bar the White House and other federal entities from doing business with Trump-affiliated establishments. Though it is not likely to pass the Senate, it does indicate House Democrats’ interest.

Other examples of the federal government spending money at Trump properties are known: The Secret Service spent $20,000 at the same Vancouver hotel in February 2017 when Donald Trump Jr., his brother Eric Trump and sister Tiffany Trump traveled to Canada for the hotel’s grand opening, according to documents obtained by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a government watchdog group.

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The president frequents his properties — primarily in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia — visiting them on more than 250 days since he was sworn into office, according to a compilation of information released by the White House. Those visits, too, have led to the government spending money at his properties.

Revenue increased at many of the Trump developments the president visited last year, including the Vancouver hotel, which the family business manages and licenses, according to Trump’s most recent personal financial disclosure forms. Trump earned more than $213,946 from the Vancouver hotel in 2018, according to his financial disclosure.

The Secret Service spent a total of $16,600 on the August 2017 trip, including $5,700 at the Trump International Hotel and Tower, $8,500 at other hotels and $2,300 on undisclosed expenses, according to documents obtained by POLITICO.

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“If Don had his way, he would have no Secret Service protection at all,” the person said. “He actually tried to get rid of it but unfortunately he gets too many threats on a daily basis.”

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Trump refused to fully separate from his businesses after he was sworn into office despite repeated calls to do so. He still owns his businesses but placed his holdings in a trust designed to hold assets for his benefit and can receive money any time without the public’s knowledge.

Several House committees, controlled by Democrats, have pushed Trump to release his tax returns to learn more information about his businesses, but he has repeatedly refused to do so. The Trump Organization, a private company with more than 500 businesses, is not required to publicly release financial information.


“Not only did he not divest himself,” said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), a member of the House Oversight Committee who has called for more transparency from the president. “He has the power to steer business to those interests.”


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Donald Trump Jr. surrounded by the Secret Service and police. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images