Trump is incapable of being shamed. He has an explanation for every shameful thing he does, even when it is a clear violates of the Constitution. No one who has even an iota of shame would offer this explanation for why the military chose to stay at his resort: “They have good taste!”
The impropriety of “American military personnel marching into the opulent halls of one of the president’s golf resorts at public expense” is very apparent. Did the impropriety occur to those personnel? If so, did they follow p on it? Or did the “marching” order come from higher-ups in the chain of command?
Let’s hope that the House Oversight committee looks into these questions and more as part of the investigation that is underway of possible impeachment of this president. The committee owes it to the country and to its Constitution.
3
I do not like President Trump' but if our military personnel can stay at a 5-star hotel for $38 dollars; I am all for it. Maybe Turnberry could give a military discount for whiskey and hamburgers.
4
So many folks are stressing over the per-diem for room charges, or the distance from the airport. Sure, that's criminal for Trump to line his pockets with our dollars, while abusing service members.
But the real boondoggle is paying millions in premium prices to refuel at this otherwise-failing airport, when US-operated bases could serve the mission better and more cheaply, just to keep Trump's property's status as a destination.
6
The authors, David and Eric, comment in their article: "There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump. But the military bookings at Turnberry are the latest in a series of episodes in which the president’s private businesses have intersected with his public position in ways that he can profit from."
Little evidence of a systematic scheme? That is incoherent. What are they talking about? What is the definition of not little evidence? What standard is little evidence? What does it mean?
Why doesn't "a series of episodes in which the president’s private businesses have intersected with his public position in ways that he can profit from" constitute a LOT of evidence of an actual conflict of interest?
Guys, what are you talking about??? Please give your definition of evidence. I have no idea of what you are talking about.
12
Am surprised the military degrades themselves this way. There is clearly a conflict of interest here. Plus when the military wastes money like this (plenty of cheaper hotels locally, with great ratings on trip adviser) it makes one suspicious that there is plenty of excess fat in the pentagon’s budget. Reading this article prompts the question of how much economizing the pentagon can do without eroding mission readiness?
9
Here’s yet another case of our scheming, underhanded “president”
unable to find the inner resources to behave with honesty, ethics, or a remote resemblance of decency.
But of course this is his common denominator. It’s all he’s got.
So, we have to count on the AF, the Pentagon, but why aren’t they stepping up? They know better but are imitating the Scoundrel in Chief.
Too easy. Too lame. Where’s their integrity?
5
How do spell emoluments violation? I-Q-4-5-i-s-a-c-r-o-o-k. No wonder he's stonewalling every congressional subpoena into his finances.
6
There may be nothing nefarious about the military stays at Turnberry but Trump's refusal to put his assets in a blind trust, his opening pitching the Doral as a future venue for the G7 , along with lobbyists, Republicans openly booking events at Trump's DC hotel and Mar-a-lago leaves both Trump and the military open to questions of improper conducts and emoluments violations.
7
OK, this is the military. There are also all the Secret Service members who are forced to stay at POTUS's resorts when he or any of his family members are travelling.
Repulsive and pitiful.
This is running to embrace the appearance of impropriety, rather than avoiding it as real business people do.
11
There is clear evidence that (ProPublica, WSJ, etc.) that the airport was a money losing venture and that it had threatened to shut down. That would have knee capped Turnberry, which is why Trump picked it up so cheaply in the first place.
The resort and airport lost $4 million dollars and recouped $3 million only after re-directing Middle East supply flights through the failing airport rather than through Europe.
This is so much worse than breaching the Emoluments Clause. Trump was cavalierly directing our military to break the law and lie about it. The Pentagon is still refusing to turn over documents to Congress. This should send shock waves throughout our citizenry.
Lying about the weather seems almost minuscule in comparison; which it, of course, is not.
70
Whatever happened to aircrews staying at RAF Lakenheath or RAF Mildenhall? Shouldn't we be having our military resting/refueling/lodging at our allies' military posts? That's what we do during contingencies, for a number of good reasons. This didn't pass the "smell test." Btw, I'm a former AF financial management officer (spent some time in Air Mobility Command so familiar with some aspects of military aircrew travel) and I'd have never let my folks do something like this--even the appearance of doing something unethical is unacceptable. Years ago, airlines would sometimes offer active duty 1st class seats. I wouldn't take them up on their offer because I never wanted to be seen doing it. It would've looked inappropriate to taxpayers, even though it wouldn't have cost them a dime.
22
@Anonymous
The Emoluments Clause seems pretty toothless, at least so far. When dealing with someone as unscrupulous as trump, we need laws, very strict ones. Why our presidents were ever exempt from conflict of interest is a mystery. At least our eyes have been opened.
12
Former AF veteran here as well. I agree wholeheartedly with your comment. I flew for 6 years on C-17’s, never once staying at a resort like Turnberry. It wouldn’t have been allowed either. No one could have gotten away with that a few years ago.
15
The Federal Travel Regulations allow service members to stay in just about any hotel they choose and establishes a limit on hotel reimbursement based on geographical location. Why should a service member stay in some flee-bag dump when the military rate is affordable. Please stop dumping on and trying to find scandal with the military. This is about the emoluments clause and the President violating it. And it is not just a hotel. Every single department is used by Trump to profit on government business. The guy is a crook and needs to go the way of Nixon.
13
DO NOT allow the Air Force to sign a contract with that airport. That goes far beyond using taxpayer dollars for a few hotel rooms. trump is using We The Taxpayer to keep a failing airport afloat because without it his whole golf resort would sink. donald trump is using the United States of America to prop up not only his own private business but one that belongs to another country. Maybe this was the deal he made in order to get that audience with the Queen?
14
This is a clear violation of the emoluments statute. Make the US gov pay his failing business.
6
My first thought: Is renting a $380 room for $130 per night a profit or a loss?
The answer is: It depends.
This is the tricky business of hotel accounting. Renting a room for even one penny is a profit if the room would have otherwise remained empty. However, booking a room at $130 a night on a night where someone would have paid $380 is a loss. You lost $250 in potential revenue.
Does $250 in lost revenue matter? You won't know until you do the books. A hotel's operating costs are mostly fixed. You're paying money whether people stay there or not. You need to look at all bookings over a period to determine whether you're in the black or in the red for any individual booking. Preferably, you'd know your competitors' bookings as well. You can't develop a true picture without looking at the entire hotel market surrounding the airport.
That's why hotels are fiercely secretive about the data they share. They want their competition in the dark as much as they are flying blind themselves.
I therefore wouldn't expect evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump. The evidence is almost impossible to establish even when everyone is cooperating willingly. Mr. Trump most certainly is not.
I suppose that's why hotels make such a great racket for money laundering.
4
@Andy By not renting that room at all, you lost close to $130 a night. With 40 people, that is $5,200, minus the small housekeeping cost of preparing the room for the next night. That is why you can sometimes pick up a very cheap airline ticket by hanging out and getting a standby at $60 that would normally cost you several hundred dollars. Airlines figured out one extra passenger cost very little in fuel and if they can pick up $150 by filling 3 more seats at the last minute, it's almost all profit.
For one thing, the report says "as low as" $130, not that that is the standard military rate. But even if it is, and Trump gets $5,200 by renting rooms that would be sitting empty, he is probably making about $4,600 a night extra profit, even though he will rig the numbers to show a loss. Because virtually the only extra cost is for a few toiletries and cleaning the room.
Basically, it's a question of which is better, losing $3 million a year, or only losing $2.5 million. Obviously, you can benefit even if you don't show a profit.
2
The term emoluments needs to be defined by Congress, immediately.
Whether the rate is $130. or $$$$$, these payments are emoluments. The issue of the airfield is complicated as the Air Force needs to be allowed to land there in case of weather or other contingencies but this issue requires better oversight.
The case of Pence staying on the other Irish coast should be designated as an emolument.
5
The Constitution defined it. The Founders did not want crooks like Trump shoveling taxpayer money into their pockets. Conservatives are outraged that their money might somehow pay for abortion or birth control? I’m outraged my money is being used to line the pockets of that covey of grifters, thieves and liars.
4
If I were military and told to land in Prestwick and then given a choice of lodging I would certainly stay at the Trump resort. When else would I be able to afford to stay in one.
1
@Richard At $26 for a hamberder and $10 for a shot of liquor, I couldn't stay there for long. There's no telling what a cup of cofveve costs. Plus, this is taxpayer money lining Trump's pocket.
5
'Little evidence' of a 'scheme' to enrich the president by having military personnel stay at his high priced 5 star hotels? This not a complicated 'scheme', it is a simple, clearly blatant abuse of power by Trump & Company, making money off taxpayers.
Not sure why the Times is falling over itself to site there is 'little evidence' of it, but that is what is being described here, no need to find a complex secret plot or scheme. It's a clear violation of the emoluments clause being committed without much attempt at hiding it.
Trump does these corrupt things in our faces, and if we continue to allow him the courtesy of the benefit of the doubt we enable his corruption, we enable his lack of conscience, we enable his destruction of our laws and democratic principles.
It looks bad, smells bad, and IS bad, so why doesn't the Times just say so?
6
Typical for Trump, he gets paid (indirectly) for military use of his property, but he's still losing money. When will his organization declare the resort bankrupt
6
And America shrugs.
3
Admittedly I may be naive, but refueling a plane takes so long that it requires an overnight stay? Think of the potential savings if we developed faster ways to refuel.
7
Did you never hear of crew on duty time and rest time. Have you never been delayed because the airline had to being in a new crew.
By virtue of its clear relationship to Mr. Trump, Tutnberry should not even be on the list of possible hotels for use by US military, period. It should be on an embargo list due to the clear opportunities for abuse. The standard for appropriateness for financial activity by the US government should start with avoiding even the appearance of corruption. The arrangement for Turnberry starts with the assumption that corruption is just standard operating procedure.
13
"Ethical and political questions". Yes, President Trump is making a fortune on one night stays by a few guests at some of his properties and a huge revenue stream from Sharpie weather art. The kittens are so easily distracted.
5
Trump is finally able to get himself out of debt - he has attached his pocketbook to the US Treasury, and this money river is finally enough to start to cover the mountains of debt he has built up over his life..
4
Business as usual for Mr. Trump. And in these cases, exploiting his hotels and resorts from tax payer pockets doesn’t cost him a penny. Life is so incredibly logical when one is rich.
2
So Dwight Eisenhower and Elvis Presley stayed there making it, WHAT, a logical layover for American military personnel? After all, what could be more American??
2
‘It’s better than a tent with no air conditioning’ says a helicopter pilot. I’m not sure that’s the kind of recommendation the Trumps are looking for!
Seriously, if I were an American tax payer, I’d be outraged at the President lining his pockets from government/ military business.
5
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump. But the military bookings at Turnberry are the latest in a series of episodes..."
There is little evidence? Yet the article proceeds to outline that every evidence? It's getting harder to follow the gyrations of Times writers
6
It feels like my TV set is stuck on one channel that plays nothing but Trump properties infomercials.
3
I'm a former Marine Corps Sergeant and I can assure everyone that the Marines never put me up for the night in a place like Turnberry but I have another problem with this.
The article claims that many of these buses of military arrive late at night. I'm sure the troops were tired when they landed and probably wanted to hit the sack as soon as possible but instead they were driven 40 minutes from the airport so they could stay at Turnberry.
That alone is thoughtless about their needs. That should not be happening unless it is absolutely necessary.
The article stated that "less expensive hotels, like a TraveLodge and a Premier Inn, are next to the airport". That is where they ought to be staying.
14
Before Trump tan for office, in calendar year 2014 and 2015, mow many times did this occur? Simple question, simple answer, crystal clear what’s going on.
5
One of the most worrying things about this are the 16 words "a dozen Trump Turnberry staff members, all speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals". "Reprisals" from whom and of what nature? Sounds like there is a culture of fear at this hotel.
6
No evidence of a scheme? The entire Trump presidency is a scheme to use the presidency as a cash machine for Trump, his businesses, and the business interests of his allies and donors.
Anyone who understands Trump's business history and how greedy capitalist white-collar criminals like him think and operate can see that when the American taxpayer is forced to give money to Trump resorts and other businesses that it's part of a scheme.
Jimmy Carter put his peanut farm into an actual blind trust while he was president, and the trust was plundered so that he lost at least a million dollars. Trump, on the other hand, is profiting from the presidency at every turn.
7
Where is the acknowledgment that this corruption was first reported three days ago by Natasha Bertrand and Connor O'Brien with Politico? https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/12/air-force-trump-scottish-resort-1493624
Also, the title link, "There is little evidence that stays by military personnel at President Trump’s resort in Scotland are part of a scheme to enrich him.", is misleading at best and feels a lot like the gaslighting that continuously spews from the Trump administration. As a retired Army Medical Corp physician, I know that this is absolutely unethical.
7
Most crime families that operate successfully do so because somebody's been taken care of. Who has the Trump Crime Family taken care of here? On the ground, the airport seems to be surviving. In DC, Moscow Mitch and his wife are millionaires. Money, money, money. Our money. But everybody who needs to get his beak wet does so; in order that the Trump Crime Family can operate. Occasionally, somebody goes to jail (see Cohen, Manafort, etc.). But the Trump Crime Family keeps rolling along because there is no modern day political equivalent of Elliot Ness in Washington. The good news? Eventually, most crime bosses become irrelevant.
4
My Father was a career Military Man from 50s and 60s. I served in the 70s and 80s. Back then when you were traveling from one station to another they had what the Air Force called billeting. It was a hotel on base. The rooms had a bed and small refrigerator and a shower. You paid about 10 dollars a night and ate at the Mess facility. If this is how the Defense department spends your tax dollars and you allow it well it's your fault. It seems to me the water level in the swamp has risen quite a bit.
6
He doesn’t look presidential.
1
A tempest in a teapot. What Trump gets out of this is the attention he is getting right now. His resort, which is apparently not doing all that well financially, is in the news constantly lately. That's free advertising for Trump. Many more people will know about Turnberry and know the name after the media is done with it. Yes, to those of us who loathe Trump, it is part of a pattern, but it is little more. Imagine how many Americans hear all of this and wish they could stay in such a "swanky" place (to me Trump's tastes are tacky) for $130/night. Give it a rest.
2
If staying at the Turnberry isn't a violation of the emoluments clause, it should be.
2
The article misses the point. Trump is not using the government to prop up his fancy resort. He is using it to prop up the airport, without which, his property is doomed. The airport has been struggling but during the Trump administration the airport has gotten a huge infusion of funds, compliments of our military. Why doesn't the Trump Organization just buy the airport to keep it open? Oh that's right - these are people who built their success with other people's money. In this case it is the money of US taxpayers. Well done, you shameless family of grifters.
4
“Little evidence”???? The very FACT that they stay at this deplorable’s so called resort is evidence enough! Geez. What alternative universe is this? Way to further support that no ethics are good ethics. Do better.
5
Where is the investigative chutzpah of Ronan Farrow when you need it?
4
Are not military expenditures subject to a bidding process? Our military spends billions on computers and Simplex software to determine the most efficient logistical and cost methods. It is no wonder audits of military accounts are so complex. Our military costs hide a multitude of unnecessary costs to promote a politicians chances of getting elected. Ike warned us about the military industrial complex. I'd add political to that.
4
As someone who has traveled on government per diem, I want to make a few points.
First, every U.S. government employee receives the same amount (different for different cities around the world) per night for "temporary duty" travel. It is entirely up to the traveler where to stay with that money. There are no restrictions, except occasionally (in some cities) those imposed by security. Forty minutes is not a long time to travel from an airport to a hotel.
Second, the per diem rate for Glasgow Scotland is not high for Europe. About $166 for a hotel room, $88 for meals. As long as the room rate is within the $166, there is no financial issue here. That means that, for U.S. government personnel to stay at the Trump resort, there would have to be a negotiated rate - which is often the case at 5-star hotels around the world where U.S. government personnel travel. There is nothing uncommon about that.
Finally, and most important, is the following: at any time were "excess" per diem rates approved in order to pay for a much higher (and more normal, for Turnberry) overnight rate - something closer to the $450/night other guests are charged. If so, given the availability of other hotels within the per diem rates, that should raise some serious ethical and legal questions.
4
As a former government employee, I don’t understand how military personnel could afford to stay at Trump’s resort on government per diem. Perhaps, the hotel agreed to accept government per diem rather than having rooms remain unrented. Even if the resort accepted per diem, it still cost the taxpayers more for transportation and foregoing cheaper accommodations that were less than the maximum per diem hotel allowance.
3
I’m soon to fly from Amsterdam to Glasgow....first time in Europe in seventeen years as I’m on a fixed budget, being close to 80. I think I have very good taste and would feel miffed that the president didn’t think so, as I’m not staying at his glitzy hotel. But it really doesn’t matter to me what he thinks. And what I think of him is that he needs to be replaced by-
1. Bernie Sanders.
2. Warren, maybe. Not sure she can win. I know Bernie can.
9
Why is he getting away with this time and time again?. This is yet another case of a clear breach of not only protocol but the emoluments clause in the constitution. Still, no repercussions.. It's beyond frustrating, and I don't even live in your country.
35
What are the financial terms of the deal between the struggling Prestwick airport and the struggling trump Turnberry golf resort, when US military planes land and airmen are transported to and check-in at neighboring golf resort?
How much profit in US dollars does the struggling Prestwick airport make with each landing and how much profit in US dollars does struggling Turnberry golf resort make on each US military layover at the golf resort?
Trump aka "King of Debt," repeatedly brags and boasts how he snares OPM (Other People's Money) to build his brands. In this case, OPM for trump is snatched from the Pentagon/US Treasury/taxpayers.
To be clear: daddy gave his favorite kid donny bags-o-cash of millions and millions whenrver donny's deals went belly up or whenever donny was in debt or bankrupt. After daddy's death, donny started practicing his grifts.
Donny did not formulate an 'art of the deal'. Rather, donny works-his-cons. Donny grifts as prez by maneuvering his minions to stay at his hotels & resorts as if the transaction does not violate the Emolument Clause and ethics in government rules.
15
This corrupt, graft-laden, underhanded grifter stuff, using the military, the US Air Force, to enrich the world's worst president is truly sick. I can't believe this is happening right under our noses and nothing happens top Trump or his Crime Family! Trump should be in prison already, yet he gets away with this stuff as if it is normal. What in the name of all things Constitutional is going on? Republicans in Congress are aiding and abetting a criminal gang in the Oval Office.
34
Quite a beautiful building purchased with Russian money by the Trump "Organization." Putin seems to have gotten his money's worth so far.
15
You are part of the crew of an aircraft or you flying on military aircraft. This is not like flying commercial. What you want in a stop is a decent hotel or quarters very close to the airport and where you get food and drink at a reasonable price.
Instead you end up having to take a 40 minute to a hotel where the price of food and drink are ridiculous.
It is so sad that the military does not look after its people and the complaints (I'm sure there were some) were ignored, almost certainly as a way of currying favor with Sharpieman.
26
People, where is your sense of patriotism and capitalism? I'm no Trump fan but I would rather see tax payer hotel money go to any American hotelier than to some stodgy old hotel in Europe. And I would rather the veterans be put up at some swank country club than a Budget Hotel.
Its a good thing Howard Schultz has dropped out of the presidential race. Imagine if he were president and no federal employee could get a cup of Starbucks:)
24
@tom harrison
Our sense of patriotism and capitalism? You must be joking.
I'm in full support of putting our active military in fantastic, comfortable accommodations. However, if the president is personally profiting from this, it's a direct violation of the constitution.
248
@tom harrison Your comparisons don't work. The option of staying at the Trump hotel was not made by the service members and the service members didn't pay for the room. Nothing like getting coffee at a Starbucks or buying peanuts at a stand in GA when Carter was president. Of course, Carter had divested of his farm--something Trump refuses to do--so wouldn't have made money on those sales.
156
@tom harrison if your patriotism more heavily favors the right of a president to leech your tax dollars for his own personal gain than the duty of government to uphold the Constitution of the United States then you are fundamentally misunderstanding the meaning of "patriotism." Blind patriotism without conscious thought cheapens the integrity and morality of our leadership and is detrimental to the nation.
115
"Little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Trump"?
Are you kidding? Just looking at the picture of the place you can tell this is about national security.
7
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump."
I should have stopped reading right there. The rest of the article is just speculation to get the liberal readership base riled up.
3
Really?? Please cite your credible and reliable sources to substantiate your claim, sir. I won’t be holding my breath.
6
Hopefully you did not stop reading. Hopefully you read all about Trump and his gypsie charlatan family taking business and leisure trips to Trump hotels all over the world and having the US government/your tax dollars pay for swanky golf outings for Trumps, the Pences , friends, family and secret service. The level of corruption is unbelievable .
2
Of course the Trump Turnberry scenario violates the letter of the emoluments clause. Even assuming that Trump is not making a profit from the room rates Turnberry charges military personnel, the arrangement still benefits Trump. First, it is always better to have a hotel room occupied rather than vacant. Any amount received for that night contributes to satisfying the hotel's continuing overhead costs, including loan repayments, which is especially important to keeping a money-losing enterprise like Turnberry afloat. Second, Trump is making a profit from the sale of expensive meals and alcohol to the military personnel who are effectively captive at the hotel once the bus drops them off. The reported late night arrivals indicates the very lucrative room service department is kept busy. Should any have time to play a round of golf, that is profit to Trump. Third, the military's increased use of the underutilized Glasgow Prestwick Airport helps keep that facility open to serve Trump's commercial interests at Turnberry.
14
The measured response to Trumps high crimes is appalling.
18
Trump has spent about a third of his time at one of his resorts when he claimed that he would be too busy to play golf! Now, the US Air Force goes out of its way to fly into a commercial airport in Scotland and then the crews stay at a Trump resort? IT IS CALLED CORRUPTION!!!
23
I am trying to recall any news coverage starting with “There is little evidence that Clinton’s email were part of scheme to misuse classified material”. I sure did not see it in the pages of the NYTimes.
The opening sentence misses the point entirely it may not be part of a scheme. It simply may be the whole of the scheme.
12
This is how we can MAGA!!
2
Our dollars, his pocket
He ran on not taking a dime from you people
I suppose technically taking $20 million isn't "taking a dime"
14
Before you give a dime to re-elect President Trump, imagine how much corruption and havoc the president will inflict occur in the next 5 years
9
My husband was Navy for 22 years...I found pilots to be the most self serving egotistical group in the armed forces...filled with pride and arrogance ... it seems fitting to me that flight crews stopped there. The military has fraud waste abuse hotline notices posted everywhere...nobody thought to report this?
My husband died within the last year...it took over 9 months for the military to pay me my monthly stipend as a surviving widow and that was only after I got my senator involved. I’d like to know how quickly Trump was reimbursed and why it took them almost a year to pay a widow of a vet her benefits!!!
22
I know this is inside baseball.
My wife used to work for the NYTimes, corporate side.
When the NY stock sunk to $2 a share, I wanted to buy some stock with my IRA money.
My wife freaked out. Although I could have done it legally during a "window" she never told me when I would be in the clear. She was terrified that it could be perceived as insider trading, a stain on her reputation.
I am talking about $20K, not 20Mill.
This is the difference between US and THEM. The Ugliest American is THEM, one of the reptiles who creep through life and slither and slime us while laughing at how stupid we all are.
22
The grifter President has to go. Period!
16
Hey, friends of mine from my same institution could not adopt the textbook I wrote.
If they did, it would have fallen under the appearance of impropriety clause, even after I offered to donate all my royalties to the institution.
So, they adopted a different textbook they think is inferior.
I used to be outraged. Now, I am just amused.
10
I recall the grief my father got recommending his own textbook written for the way he taught his signature class. Of course the largest voices grew silent when their books arrived.
5
There is absolutely irrefutable evidence: Trump owns the hotel and will be enriched by the stays and the stays have vastly increased. "Neither Mr. Trump’s company nor the United States military has disclosed how much government money has been spent at the Trump resort." And how is that okay? What happened to Freedom of Information act?
18
It would be nice to know how much our military pays for similar accommodations in other refueling stops, or what it paid in previous administrations. If journalists could not obtain this information, that should also be a big story.
If the airport and Trump's resort have been having financial difficulties and have been using our military to help meet these difficulties, this would be normal in governments where such patronage is common, and also in many businesses. An inside advantage is much to be preferred to open public competition, which is avoided in fact almost as much as it is praised in ideology.
4
It’s questionable simply on location alone. Glasgow is much closer with many hotels and good access to the airport.
Prestwick is the birthplace of the golf open and not even 10 mins to the Royal Troon golf resort, which hosts the golf Open annually. Therefore many surrounding hotels cater to tourism in Prestwick.
Turnberry is more expensive and it would take for than 40 mins to get there. It’s really not a place you’d go for a rest stop.
13
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump."
Ha.
You forgot to add a one word sentence at the end of the above quote: "Yet."
I'll gladly take the bet that it was indeed a deliberate scheme to enrich Mr. Trump, our grifter- in-chief.
13
Little evidence? I guess they shredded it all.
14
Whoa.Turnberry has never been nearly as engaging as Prestwick petrol station and the contract trump signed with the Gov.of Scotland to help keep the bankrupt station alive.I would say that trump has honored that contract by getting the military to fuel up hundreds of times instead of going to many numerous stations on military bases where the cost isn't picked up by we taxpayers.Plus Turnberry is a is a short ride away so all the military folk can stay there and put $$ trump's pocket.It was necessary to keep Prestwick alive if Turnberry is to survive.Blatant corruption.
8
Trump is a billionaire. A few for hotel fees is nothing to him. He can arrange for servicemen & women to use his hotels at a loss (or for free), and do the same for foreign dignitaries. It won't violate the emoluments clause. And it will make his adversaries who need to condemn everything associated with Trump look like fools.
I loathe and fear his Presidency. But I fear that his critics are hurting their own cause with their misguided accusations.
1
@Joe
He's not a billionaire
Even with the millions he's stolen from us all
3
@Joe
First of all, what proof do you have that he's a billionaire? Second, so what if he is, this is still wrong. Third, I'm sure you would have a totally different opinion if this had been President Obama. Enough with the double standards.
3
Can congress pass a law forbidding the use of taxpayer money be spent at a President or really any politicians properties or businesses?
10
@SXM
The domestic emoluments clause of the US Constitution has prohibited such self-serving payments for hundreds of years.
6
How does the discounted rate of $130 at Turnberry compare to rates at the TraveLodge and Premier Inn?
Of all of trump's dirty dealings, this one seems the least bad to me. Taxpayers are going to foot the bill no matter where the military stays. If he was an ethical person, he probably could've worked out a win-win situation, not just for himself.
I can't see Dems wasting too much time on this one. It would be smarter just to enact laws, as soon as they are able to - like Day One of regaining the Senate & White House, that expressly forbid self-dealing and conflicts of interest for the U.S. President, while it seems there aren't any right now.
2
Spending at Turnberry is a violation of a constitutional prohibition on government payments to the president outside of his salary — a provision known as the emoluments clause.
12
This is one of those things where the appearance of impropriety is enough. We don’t need to prove he or anyone was trying to push money his way, or that a substantial number of the military personnel were housed there. It’s as simple as he shouldn’t be making money off the government like this; it’s the price of public office for a person with a vast amount of money-churning properties.
7
He's a crook, period. Any other President or politician would have said, "Avoid even the appearance of impropriety." He seeks it out, shovels it down our throats, and then cries, "I'm innocent." Meanwhile everyone around him perpetuates the crooked dealings. I'm so sick of him and his regime of greed and wheeling and dealing.
8
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme". What? Are you blind?
7
Spending at Turnberry is a violation of a constitutional prohibition on government payments to the president outside of his salary — a provision known as the emoluments clause.
Are you blind?
2
Look at it anyway you want, but the fact that our government is paying to have any government employees stay at the President's hotel should be enough to say, "Wait, stop."
16
You can travel for about $500-$700 dollars, round trip, from Boston to Prishtina, Kosovo on several commercial airlines, such as United, Swiss, Austrian. The total trip takes about 12 hours, including layovers.
Flying back from Kosovo to the US East coast can be done within one day. There is no need for an overnight stop in Scotland.
16
So what! I don't care who provides it. If is meets my criteria then I will stay there - I don't care of Trump owns It! I am sick and tired of all this whining about Hotels. It is non issue.
23
@Judy Weller, You don't see anything wrong in using taxpayers' money (i.e., YOUR money) to enrich the private business of your president and his family? You are either very generous or you've drunk too much of the Kool-Aid.
125
How long have you been enlisted in the armed services?
40
Are you active duty military, on a mission?
35
Where in the Constitution does it say violating the emoluments clause must be "systemic"?
And, can 40 stay overs NOT be considered systemic?
10
I don't get it. We have bases all over the world that we spend billions on. Why are we spending additional millions at non-military airports?
13
It's not the hotel accommodations for the military. It's the fuel revenue that keeps the golf complex in business. Without this, the airport would close and with it Trump's resort.
12
I guess my question is whether the military would have used Trump's hotel if he weren't the owner?
9
Even if the hotel charges one fourth of what a Motel 6 charges, the military should pay more and not stay at a nice property owned by Trump.
5
Poor Turnberry, can't get all the bookings it needs. Perhaps the Trump organization can come to terms with President Trump to house people wishing to immigrate to the U.S. (People of Nordic descent only please) while they wait to see if Scotland will take them. If the Scots won't then they have to be properly vetted or at least shoot par before being granted access to our shores. Another win win.
3
I get the attempts at independence to avoid the impression of bias, but I wonder what the NYT means by “there is little evidence”? No evidence or some evidence? The stench of corruption around nearly everything that Trump says or does give high probability that this story equally stinks of corruption.
7
That is not a nice building.
3
Why is the New York Times trying to normalize the trump administrations flagrant violations of the emoluments clause, ethical and moral lapses and crass profiteering? That is what I want to know.
10
I wonder why these properties have not been targeted by nefarious entities around the globe .
5
A legitimate service was provided at a discounted rate - and no underage minors were involved. What's the beef?
No Washington politician can afford to pursue corruption on this level. None of them are 100% clean, and they all know that "what goes around, comes around". Expect nothing to happen.
When it comes to Washington corruption, Trump is an imitator, not a ground breaker. For example, both parties have have supported the remarkably corrupt Senate Pages program since 1829. See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Page_of_the_United_States_Senate#Program_Scrutiny
I’m tired of being trump’s piggy bank.
He’s an expert in using other peoples’ money...
...and not paying it back.
Only this time, it’s not loans. It’s revenue. Paid by taxpayers.
I wouldn’t want to deny serving military personnel a good night’s sleep, but it shouldn’t be at a hotel owned by the president.
He’s robbing us all.
He’s violating the Constitution.
He’s corrupt.
He’s a criminal.
Unfit to serve.
19
Who cares. These men and women are deserving of a good nights rest given all they do for the Country. As for Trump, why bother going after him on something this trivial with all of his other well documented major thievery, past and present.
4
@Horseshoe Crab
As a tax paying citizen of this country, I care! And you likely would too if it was anyone but trump.
1
POTUS says he can shoot someone on a street in NYC. Let him or one of his progeny try it.
2
Indeed. I don’t think he knows his home town very well. I’ve literally NEVER met anyone here in New York that has even a modicum of respect for this charlatan. We’ve known for decades what a scam he is, and it makes us crazy that so many gullible folks elsewhere don’t see that yet.
13
I heard that their was an effort to rename the street that Trump Tower is on. I wish they would do it. Barack Obama Blvd has a nice ring to it.
It’s just WRONG!!!
11
You got to admit that after 40 visits Trump probably ran for office just to charge the US taxpayer for every nickel and dime he could get. It’s not just the Air Force...it’s Barr, Pence, and anyone else the can use to enrich his pockets. Trump dynasty... more like the Trump horde feeding off the US taxpayer trough.
8
"There is little evidence that stays by military personnel at President Trump’s resort in Scotland are part of a scheme to enrich him."
In the same way, there is little evidence that climate change is responsible for a particular hurricane's severity, or for particular drought, or a particular flood; but when you see a trend, the evidence becomes hard to deny.
There's a pattern here, folks.
21:55 EDT, 9/12
16
Little evidence? Service members are being shuffled out of their way, at great expense, to stay at Trump's resort, which enriches him. How much more evidence do you need?
20
His corruption of the military can only lead to disaster. Our system of checks and balances cannot work so long as the Republicans look the other way. Hope they enjoy riding the back of the Tiger. They will soon be in its belly.
11
Trump is in violation of the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution. This is but one example. Here's hoping the U.S. House of Representatives can move swiftly in its investigations towards issuing a Bill of Impeachment.
11
A tempest in a teapot. He’s just rewarding employees like any CEO.
..and putting government money into his family’s bank accounts. Emoluments, anyone?
12
No—he’s ripping of the taxpayers. It’s not his military—it’s our military.
13
What evidence would The NY Times need to see: a written Executive Order signed by Trump?
5
'There would be “people coming in from New York, high level people from all over the place — a lot of private aircraft will be landing with groups and individuals and we expect to be using Prestwick quite a bit,” Mr. Trump promised.'
Promises -- trump's preferred toilet paper.
8
I still don't understand why we are refueling planes at a non-US military facility. Aren't the fuel costs MUCH higher?
19
True. I am sure the stay was paid for by Mexico.
11
Trump resort / properties =
Putin resort / properties
7
Come on donald, try to get even sleazier
5
Trump is a horror. But let’s do the math. 40 x $130
Come on! Who cares!
@John De Ella I care.
17
@John De Ella
Less about the money than about the principal. Come on, don't you think we should have some standards?
14
Note that income from this loser property has risen by millions of (American taxpayer) dollars. This is a big deal. A big, corrupt deal.
12
No "evidence" of self-enrichment? My goodness, the NYTimes has again shown acute myopia. A corrupt DOD funneling military planes and crews to Trump's resort when several USAF airbases could do just as well? How much "evidence" does NYT need?
9
“There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump.”
If there is little evidence, why did NY Times publish this story. Sorta like Seinfeld, it’s about nothing.
7
As a corporate executive, staying at Turnberry when there were less expensive alternatives closer by, would violate my company's travel policy. It is hard to imagine the governments travel policy being more generous.
22
There’s no evidence of a plan to push military personnel to stay at el presidente’s posh hotels? Please, the fact that there is no legitimate reason for them to be there is evidence enough. Ok, an airport that needs the support of el presidente, is making the call, that its the only available hotel. Not appropriate.
There is more than the appearance of political favor , that is why they should avoid the presidents businesses. We are officially a banana republic. I’d ask the minions, what if this was Obama’s hotel, and military were using public funds to stay there, you’d be apoplectic.
16
I'm sorry but our people in uniform have to remember that anything like this is on the tax payers and not coming out of Donald's pocket.
9
This is so out in the open and in your face that it must be intentional. We as a national, indeed as decent people have got to face this corruption and end it.
15
No, the dollars spent at his hotel will not enrich him as much as his other deals, but it is undermining the integrity of our Air Force and with it the entire military structure. Please, NYT, do your reporters have no sense of history?
13
At my job, I can not use office email to ask if anyone wants to buy girl scout cookies from me because it is perceived as unethical use of my position and implied coercion. Wish POTUS was held to the same standard.
18
I am just wondering if this oh-so-elite 5 star hotel allows the American military sip their Scotch at the bar dressed in fatigues.
7
American taxpayers are propping up both a failed presidency, and a failing golf course...
This is completely inappropriate.
ANYONE who works in business has heard thousands of times that you do NOT do something that has the appearance of impropriety. This reeks - just like so many other actions by this administration.
On top of that, this article says it's far from choices for meals and drinks at a high price other than at POTUS's hotel.
13
Well, he is pocketing as much money as he can while in power, not much different that what any president from a Banana Republic does every other day. So shall we conclude that the US has became another Banana Republic? I guess the answer is a rotund “Yes”.
8
Perhaps if this newspaper ever decides to investigate again you'll deliver something more concrete than "Trump’s businesses intersecting with his public position in ways that he could profit from".
Is he profiting? Does The Times know or not? If you don't know, why not?
3
@Next Conservatism
How much does he need to make to call it "profiting?" A dollar, a thousand, a million? How much?
Even one dollar is one dollar too much to profit of the office of the President of the United States. After he's out of office, he can make as much as he wants, but not now, not on our dime.
8
"There is little evidence that stays by military personnel at President Trump’s resort in Scotland are part of a scheme to enrich him. " Who says Democrats need evidence! For them, the facts just get in the way of a convenient story.
1
If anyone is staying there one night it is enriching him.
I'm sure you see that. I am also sure that everyone who is defending Trump & Co. sees that this is at best unethical.
Really anyone attempting to defend this practice is being dishonest and purposely confrontational.
3
This whole thing is precisely what a tinhorn Central American despot would do.
Once upon a time, this wouldn't be even under consideration by a U.S. President.
12
Is the Defense Department so flush with funds that it exercises no control over where Air National Guard flight crews refuel?
If not, then the brass should at least be concerned with security or maintenance facilities at the site of a stopover in Europe today. Especially when military flights have the option of utilizing USAF bases located nearby which are staffed and equipped to handle "stopovers" (e.g., RAF Mildenhall, home of a USAF refueling unit.).
9
Having worked in the public sector I am baffled at how this breach of ethics occurred. There is no way I would have ever stayed at a five star resort using public funds. This is outrageous .
16
After searching and finding Prestwick on a Google map, I then retyped the search to be "hotels near Prestwick." I found dozens of hotels that cost less, and were within minutes of the airport, including a 3-Star for US $101 a night.
I saw that the military spokesman had said that the five airmen stayed at the equivalently-priced Marriot, also over thirty-minutes away on their return trip through Scotland.
I then went the Marriott web site and searched for Prestwick to see where that hotel was located. I found to my surprise that the short list of "Marriott Hotels" was topped by Trump's Turnberry Resort. I don't know, but it sounds like some sort of back scratching is going on.
That first search of mine on Prestwick also brought up some UK stories on the large increase in flights by the US through Scotland, and the even larger increase in the number of overnight stays.
I also found it interesting that the millions of dollars in aircraft fuel at Prestwick is supplied by none other than Jerry Fawell, Jr., who was blackmailed by Trump for his endorsement, according to Cohen's sworn testimony to Congress. More back scratching?
17
@Carl Lee
Wow.
4
Interesting!!! Nice work
4
If I were a soldier or officer on my way off to some hole in the ground in wherever to do my job for the US government sleeping in a tent surrounded by dodgy foreigners, I would appreciate a nice meal, and a couple of drinks in Scotland! I don’t support Trump, but I don’t think he ever ran for president to make money from his hotel properties off the US government. There are many more and more serious flaws with his presidency.
Nitpicking nits doesn’t really help focus our attention to what is wrong with his presidency.
1
Interesting point. Did he run for president to make money for his hotel properties off the US government? Not exactly. He ran for president because a presidential campaign presented an outsized opportunity for burnishing the Trump brand and puffing up the Donald’s already swollen ego.
He did not expect to win which is why his transition and cabinet choices were a disaster. Winning the presidency was a bonus. There are disagreements about Trump’s skills as a businessman or politician, but there is wide agreement that he is a master of branding. If you’re Trump what can be better than placing a presidential seal next to the Trump logo?
Trump is playing the long game. Granted, the amount of money under scrutiny with the Turnburry issue seems insignificant in comparison to his vast wealth. However, don’t miss the point that every time there is a mention of a Trump property, whether it is at the Doral or the Trump Tower or the Turnburry, it’s like money in the bank for a master of the branding game.
I don’t know if I would impeach him over it, but I would recommend replacing Trump with a presiding whose primary skill set involves governing.
While we are debating whether he is violating the spirit or the letter of the emoluments clause, Trump is dismantling entire institutions. The next occupant of the White House will have quite a repair job on their hands including rebuilding the State Department, restoring the EPA, and renovating broken trust with our allies abroad.
It sure doesn’t sound like Trump is making money at $130/nt. In my experience that’s really cheap for a fancy hotel in Scotland. I have no problem giving these guys a treat.
This is a silly issue in the context of the rife graft going on with these grifters.
3
Definitely looks like the caliber of hotel I got to stay in when I was an officer ...
2
God knows I don’t begrudge military personnel decent sleeping accommodations, but if cheaper hotels and affordable restaurants are closer to where they land, it only makes sense to book them there. If their meal allowance doesn’t cover their meals, the arrangement makes no sense. And above all else, who makes the decision as to where these people stay? It seems like someone somewhere is trying to curry favor. However you look at it, it doesn’t look right. The “appearance of impropriety” should still mean something.
8
Obviously, this doesn’t at first glance look good for Trump. But speaking as a true non-Trump fan, I don’t see what the big deal is. Military personnel on travel get a certain per diem amount for food and lodging, and can decide how to use it, including where they want to eat and stay ... even if it involves their own personal expense for overage. So much the better where these reported on found comfort at the Trump place and were given a discounted rate. This wasn’t ordered by Trump or anyone else in the US government, was it? There are plenty of matters to g9 after Trump for, but not this one.
1
There are at least four hotels in the same area that are far more economical . Not buying your logic and as a taxpayer I’d rather see the service personnel receive better compensation.
11
If Prestwick is the nearest facility to a great circle route for the aircraft and the DoD has arranged appropriate refueling costs, I don't see a problem. If not, looking bad for Trump (although that doesn't matter in this world, Trump self-dealing is fully accepted and approved by his supporters in Congress and the public) But if this a plan to keep Prestwick alive, it doesn't seem to be working. Only Ryan Air using the place isn't a good sign; wonder how long the Scot's government will be willing to support the losses.
My sympathy to any enlisted people who may be stuck staying at Trump's resort. They could do much better on their per diem elsewhere.
1
How many hotels are in a 30 minute driving radius of the airstrip. What’s their mean and median cost per room per night v Trumps place.This isn’t rocket science - 5 minutes on trip advisor can determine if this is corrupt or not.
8
The corruption is that he rerouted the planes in the first place. Then those planes are then wasting enormous amount of tax dollars on fueling at that location rather than using the correct airport.
Also trump did all of this to keep an airport open which is closest to his hotel. All the other airport a pretty far away.
I have to ask how do you not know all this.
8
The time to have blocked this was before the con-man multiple-bankrupted buffoon took any oath of office.
And there were plenty of voices raised.
8
Good heavens.
Our military families have been facing more and more losses of benefits, and this is where money is being spent?
14
Wow, this is bigger than Teapot Dome.
9
This Times story soft soaps the facts. I don't know why but I'm sorry to see it. This is another tale of grave malfeasance, if not criminality, under Trump. Banana republic leaders reign to enrich themselves while basking in the power. Yes, Trump was elected. So are some of the world's worst authoritarians. It's how they rule while in power that counts. When they decimate public institutions and judicial controls in the process, they expose their stripes. When one comes out far richer than he or she went in, you have a third-world kleptocrat who has made a monkey out of democracy.
8
Better than a tent . . . sigh.
1
@Mary A If I had to choose between a Trump hotel and a tent, I'd pick the tent.
5
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump. "
That's like saying that Putin helping Trump and Trump helping Russia is just a coincidence.
And Republicans care more about deficits than tax cuts.
And Trump tells the truth and everything on CNN is fake news.
And the Donald is such a good boss that all of his employees love working for him.
And the Fed chairman is an enemy of the people of the United States.
And Fox "News" is fair and balanced.
10
It doesn’t matter whether there is clear evidence of pursuing graft. Obama administration and Norm Eisen, the finest ethics lawyer in the business, understood that even the appearance of that would be massively unacceptable.
8
Here is how every large Air Force base in the world works. When a flight crew shows up after a long flight with their vital cargo they are picked up in a van and taken to a lodging facility on the base. The last one I was at charged about $ 60.00 a night In 2014. This facility is close to the officers club and the enlisted club where the crew can eat, get a drink, and relax. The prices are very reasonable for both. When the leave they are picked up for a short trip back to the flight line and off to the next destination.
Stopping at a civilian airport, a 30 mile ride to a golf resort and an expensive room and meals that might not be covered by the per diem rate in their TDY orders is not what the crew wants.
18
Every year I have to read and sign a conflict of interest form for my employer, which bars me from any financial relationships or deals with my employer's competitors, or even possible competitors. If I lie on that form, or get caught in a conflict of interest, I get fired. I am a middle manager, and I am held to a higher standard by my employer than the actual President of the USA is held to by the government to which I pay taxes. Clearly having US troops stay at a hotel that POTUS owns and profits from is a conflict of interest. Clearly this is what the emoluments clause was created to address. For the love of democracy can we please impeach this charlatan and force his resignation?
20
This a thousand times over. Pretty simple really...
Beautiful place. I can see why they would want to stay there. I sure would.
2
I would too if someone else was paying the bill.
$21 for a burgher?
5
@Robert, what’s an MRE cost? $17 on Amazon for mac and cheese. You really want to begrudge America’s finest four bucks?
He is breaking the emolument clause of our constitution. It is the constitution and our founding father’s that say this is wrong.
14
Imagine the uproar if the military had purchased copies of Dreams From My Father, for their soldiers recommended reading.
12
Discounted rate, my foot: If he really loved American taxpayers and American military members, he'd let them stay for free.
13
$130 a night sounds like a deal. Don’t know about you, but i have a difficult time finding a cheaper place to stay off the interstate in most of my travels.
1
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump. But the military bookings at Turnberry are the latest in a series of episodes in which the president’s private businesses have intersected with his public position in ways that he can profit from."
And there was little evidence of a fire on the boat except for the screams of passengers, the raging flames and black smoke.
13
The onion broke the following story on Monday:" Trump Under Fire For Forcing Astronauts To Stay In Irish Trump Hotel While On Specialized Space Mission"
It is only a 240 mi commute to the ISS.
6
All those soldiers turning up... sounds like the opening scene in Brideshead Revisited, where Charles Rider tells Hooper "That's not what it was built for."
2
“There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump.”
What a joke!
How on earth can you make this assertion with a straight face.
This is only the latest example of White House corruption. The “scheme” isn’t just related to Turnberry, it also relates to the Trump hotel in Washington, DC, to the Doral being a Center for the next G7, to the Trump family evading inheritance taxes. There are many other well documented examples.
Assertions like this being discredit to the New York Times.
Tell it like it is: what we see is corrupt, it’s systematic, and it pervades the Trump presidency.
13
@AGS
Remember, this is the same NY Times that absolutely assured readers the week before the Nov. 2016 election that the Trump campaign had been completely exonerated of ever having any contact whatsoever with any Russians at all. No evidence at all! The NY Times told us so!
Oops! And this same newspaper implied that Hillary Clinton was guilty of some major crime right up to the election with every single nasty article and blaring headlines about new "evidence" of her criminal activities being unearthed.
So you should not be surprised that these NY Times reporters tell America that we must believe that this is all entirely innocent.
1
“Little evidence the stays are part of a scheme to enrich him”? How many times did the military stay at Turnberry prior to Trumps inauguration?
14
What jumped out at me was the idea that American service members who are billeted in this joint, on our tax dollar, are being charged $26 for a hamburger. The place is so far from town that they don't have any other options.
That's price-gouging. At the expense of our enlisted personnel.
18
What is so difficult about enacting a policy which says that no military personnel will be billed at Trump properties? It's a clear appearance of conflict of interest.
20
Has the US Military phased out Visiting Officers Quarters and Crew Quarters at their airports?? It has been a while but we always refueled at our military facilities and were given crew quarters or VOQ billets and we ate at the chow hall or an on-base Club. For us that was luxury after wartime and none of it was corruption.
9
Forget the hotel, that’s chump change. We have bases in Europe that should be handling the traffic. What are the security arrangements, are the aircraft protected from terrorist attack? What is the security like at the hotel? We know that regular military bases, US and UK, have a high level of security. If an old soldier can see this hole I’m sure others can.
12
@S Sandoval
Yes, a busload of airmen on a two lane road, pretty easy target.
2
There is every evidence of systematic enriching himself by the President.
11
"There is little evidence that stays by military personnel at President Trump’s resort in Scotland are part of a scheme to enrich him."
I'll correct that for you, since mealy-mouthed both-sidesism is a mainstay of the Times these days.
"There is strong circumstantial evidence that stays by military personnel at President Trump’s resort in Scotland are part of a scheme to enrich him."
If the Times is to continue smearing black and white into some inconsequential gray, then I will go elsewhere for my subscriptions.
10
Not so sure about that.
1
Our military people are all carrying golf clubs and our civilians are all carrying assault riffles. Strange times indeed. Nice voting Republicans.
21
Is that called damning with faint praise? I'm thinking Mulvaney is calling Esper right now for a correction.
“There is little evidence.” Surely someone at the Times has heard of circumstantial evidence. You don’t need to see the rain to infer it from the wet umbrellas in the lobby.
7
Trump hasn’t read the Constitution and his aides are afraid to read the laws of our country to him. I guess that’s why Trump picked them. Trump probably thinks “emoluments” are an appetizer served at his hotels. He should obey the Constitution.
8
The military shouldn’t be using Prestwick in the first place, where fuel costs more than other stopover points — like our European bases. The article doesn’t mention that but should. If these flights were refueling at Ramstein, the soldiers wouldn’t be headed to Trump’s resort. So why aren’t they? We all know the answer.
5
The question here is obvious: what did the Pentagon do before Trump became President? Surely after all these years this isn't the first missions operation that used Scotland and vicinity to refuel a plan and furnish overnight accommodations to enlisted personnel. If the change was made to grease political wheels this is BAD for our country, no matter how seemingly benign. What's next, picking a battle tank because the Secretary of Defense was once the CEO of Ford? Pay top dollar for a new spy plane because the NSA chief used to run Boeing?
There is a swamp in Washington D.C., and it continues because people do not realize what is at stake - that all corruption is corrosive to our democracy.
4
Oh this is just a coincidence that Donald Trump is president and owns this struggling, expensive Golf resort in doggone, out of the way, Scotland, and now the U.S. military happens to noticeably increase its use of the Trump owned resort to house military personnel 40 minutes away from other, less opulent housing. No tents, come on, we’re not idiots. Yes, this is corruption in plain sight. No, this isn’t normal nor is it ethical, or acceptable. For crying out loud stop this nonsense, and insulting our intelligence.
12
Hotels have contracts with the government and agree to charge the government rate regardless of the room official charge. Some hotels will put you in a really good room rather than let it stay empty.
Because of one of these contracts. As a civil servant, I was once assigned lodging in a Presidential Suite in a hotel in a major American city while on official travel. I was charged official government rates.
In the case of the Trump hotel, the problem isn't the room rate,it's the food cost. If the people on orders have a chance in DTS (Defense Travel Service) they should make sure their orders give them "actual charges".
1
@Glenda
I’m assuming Mr Marriott or Ms Hilton wasn’t the president at the time you were traveling on the taxpayer’s nickel.
3
There is no need for the military to pay for expensive lodging. A Travelodge was out of the question when I was in the Peace Corps being supported by taxpayers' dollars. There were hostels.
Even if there is no purposeful use of the Turnberry lodging, it gives the impression of a conflict of interest and needs to be avoided.
7
I wonder about those who are saying ‘move along nothing to see here’. In my job there are rules about going in to business with colleagues, not allowed, renting your house/apartment to colleagues, not allowed, having outside business interests, not allowed, and I’m several steps from being POTUS.
But more than that it would never occur to me to use my job to enrich myself personally. In addition Trump should be like Caesars Wife but he’s never get that reference let alone what it means. A bigger man, a normal man, would simply say ‘I get it’ and direct government employees to stay at non Trump properties.
6
@David -- Exactly. One of the reasons that presidents should divest themselves of assets is so that issues like this never even arise to distract us and cause to have doubts about the ethics and honesty of our leaders. We have enough to worry about their governance without having to question their behavior about this sort of personal issue, question whether we are getting the full story and the complete truth (which, of course, is never the case with Trump), question whether undue influence has been exerted, question whether there is more to this than meets the eye, etc. The rule is and should be that presidents make no profits from their office other than the compensation and expense reimbursement that is authorized by our Constitution and laws and regulations. There should not be even the appearance of impropriety.
7
Since there is no competitive bidding I'd like to offer accommodations in my home several miles from RDU and even further from the nearest military field.
6
I think most of the discussion on discounted rates and whether or not the president is actively seeking profits from this misses the (not more important, not less, but equally important) point that if the president is having troops stay in his own luxury hotels at public expense, he is in effect bribing these troops to support him. If they'd otherwise be staying at Motel 6, he's giving them luxury lodging to ingratiate himself and get a campaign advantage. The public money is actually in effect going to support his campaign, in the structure of a bribe: Support me, and you stay in luxury resorts as opposed to Hotel 6. Thus he contributes part of the bribe (the discounted rate) and the taxpayer pays the rest.
13
@Anon
Very good point.
4
Trump does whatever he finds profitable and dares anyone to stop him. He has a stable of lawyers eager to defend his interests, and an increasingly supportive judicial system in case anyone has the temerity to take him to court. So far his moxie has gotten rave reviews from his fans who like his style, mistaking it for strong leadership. Whether this serial transgressor of presidential norms can be reigned in by congressional Democrats or court challenges remains to be seen. So far the blowback has not softened his contempt for precedence.
5
Everyone one of these commenters here justifying this would be singing an entirely different tune if President Obama had done this. The things trump gets away with boggle the mind.
7
Trump does to the nation as he did to all his business partners. He siphoned off all their money and walked away with it and his partners were left holding the empty bag.
5
As a soldier in the 1980s, my family and I stayed at Patton Barracks in Heidelberg during the cold-war and nobody questioned General Patton’s ethics or the military’s spending! Who-Ahh!
1
@J L S
I’m thinking Gen Patton wasn’t President then, correct??
6
@ Julie M
He served three years!
The attempt to hide blantant conflicts of interest, or if you prefer flat out corruption, is no longer happening, if it ever was. The trumper is thumbing his nose at the U.S. because we let him get away with it from the get go (remember those stacks of papers that were supposed to separate him from his businesses?) Pulleese!
The fact that this lunatic is Our president and that 1/2 the country doesn't know or understand world history enough to know that we, the people, are in a sketchy position is beyond life questioning at this point, but perhaps downright life ending?
He is setting up some awful scenarios and we may never get back to a less corrupt government, this may be the end of our experiment. This administration is a joke and a plague.
The world, more than ever, needs a gathering of minds and brains and we, thanks to Putin and the Deplorables, have ended up with a certifiable Divider-In-Chief. He says he wants to end wars but he is so quick to fly off the handle and has no clue how to bring about anything good, let alone Peace.
Trump Must Not Stand or America Will Fall.
10
Sure it's better than a tent. But many of the dozens of hotels in the area are not only significantly closer to the airport as well as cheaper.
Also, we know from other incidents Trump pressures departments to agree with him. After heat he did with Dorian it's really hard not to question the truthfulness of such statements
5
Those finding issues here, so long as the invoices do not exceed Defense Dept. expense guidelines, are merely looking to unfairly criticize Trump out of personal animus.
8
@Mike F.: If Turnberry were owned by someone with zero ties to the US govt, servicemembers wouldn't stay there, because
1. it's 40 minutes from the airport vs 5 minutes (as are at least two named competitors);
2. its cost per night, even discounted, is still higher than the cost per night at a TraveLodge etc., so it's costing taxpayers more;
3. its extortionate pricing for food and drink put a hardship on the servicemembers, whose generous per diems don't stretch that far; and
4. its isolation is disadvantageous -- no pubs or restaurants where the servicemembers can hang out and relax.
Everything about these stays at Turnberry are illogical, and they stink of corruption.
30
@Mike F.
Those finding no issues here display animus to the US Constitution.
19
No. The optics are terrible. A competent administration would go out of its way to prevent even the appearance of impropriety. Unforced errors like this are what happens when key advisors are underqualified (e.g., the Communications Director has been arrested for DUI... twice). If this happened on a Democrat’s watch, Republicans would be howling for blood.
11
Trump's hotel is offering a rock-bottom price to get business.
The military is obliged to go with the lowest bidder. If Trump's hotel is offering $130 a night, and the Marriott wants $169, then the military should take the offer.
6
@Jonathan- Emoluments. Trump shouldn‘t have a hotel in the first place.
233
@Jonathan
Don't forget the drive to and from the airport, the exorbitant cost of food and drink at trump's little hideaway. Multiply that by all of the other trump holdings that he "makes available" and you get a yuge windfall to him and his kids.
123
@Jonathan
Trump’s hotel is offering a rock bottom hotel price in order to keep the nearby airport open, which is crucial to the resort’s survival.
You don’t see an ethical problem with that?
101
This is such a Nothing Burger and makes Dems look so petty. The President isn't getting rich off 60 soldiers staying at his hotel. It's actually saving the government money by staying his per diem rate locked hotels than a more expensive alternative. If I'm serving in the military and travelling around the world I'd rather get some R&R in a nice hotel than eating overcooked potatoes and cabbage in the Bed & Breakfast down the road. And, horror the thought that the President might actually be popular with the troops and they'd want to stay in hotels associated with him!
8
Emoluments clause violation. Trump is a grifter! Eleven million in fuel costs at an obscure Scottish airport which buoys up Trump’s failing resort. It’s wrong! Period!
143
@TylerBarkley You are missing the point completely. It isn't about the amount of money, and it isn't only this one case. What is the amount of money that would cross the line? is there a number?
48
@TylerBarkley
No Tyler, it is not a nothing burger. It is an abuse of presidential power to use the military to prop up his personal business. The President is the chief law enforcement officer and cannot be violating the constitution while enforcing the laws on citizens.
53
In the eyes of Republicans, a black President wearing a tan suit is 10 times worse that a white President using his office to enrich himself.
Then again hypocrisy and bigotry are what the GOP is built on.
22
Its amazing the length MSM will go to create controversy where there is none.
5
@Regina
Because it is a big deal. The Grifter is enriching himself with taxpayer dollars EVERY chance he gets.
You’re correct in one way, however. It is not a “controversy”; It’s illegal.
4
Emoluments period. The House must act swiftly to hold the unindicted coconspirator and his motley crew accountable.
4
"Neither Mr. Trump’s company nor the United States military has disclosed how much government money has been spent at the Trump resort."
Until all expenses are accounted for, no judgement can be made on whether or not Criminal Trump is stealing from taxpayers. They also need to examine how much money was spent propping up Trump's airport via fuel purchases that could have been made elsewhere for less money. The best case is this is bad optics. More likely, American taxpayers have been paying a premium to support military transport and services that directly benefits the president. If the costs were one penny more than pre-Trump, then it's theft. Pure, outright theft from the American people.
4
@Markymark
It’s unjust enrichment at the least, every time a taxpayer dime is spent at a Trump property. How much the actual theft is, is yet to be determined.
2
Trump is the kind of person who will try to buy votes and good will anyway he can.
5
There is nothing that trump can't do as lone as the US remains a fascist state.
1
Since this issue came up, I've had a fantasy of an SNL sketch that goes something like the following: Guest in "The Diplomatic Suite" wakes up, calls room service for "bacon and eggs, the eggs well done and whole wheat toast on the side, and decaffeinated coffee."
On the other end, a voice sounding strangely like a well-known real estate mogul, reality tv star and now politician says, "you got it, man. No Problem." The guest, slightly confused at the unusual tone, switches on the tv while waiting for breakfast.
Suddenly programming is interrupted with a news conference from the president: "My fellow Americans, Due to escalating aggression in Kashmir, I've just authorized limited missile strike to safeguard American interests and lives. A difficult decision, but carefully thought out...American interests." Some explosions are shown, then regular programming then resumes. The guest suddenly decides he wants OJ instead of coffee, and some other change in the order, calls room service. The same voice, a bit perturbed, shouts, "Make up your mind, man! Ok, I'll change it but you're sure?" Soon, another interruption on TV, the prez announcing bombing suspended, "economic sanctions instead."
One or two more rounds of calls to room service, followed by tv programming interruptions. Cut to the neighboring suite, where Kim Jung Un is a guest, ordering 'lunch'.
[email protected]
1
@Anon
Kenan Thompson as the guest (perhaps a clueless tourist assigned the room by accident). Can you imagine him doing his bewildered look - directed at the phone of course- as he thinks to himself "was that Donald Trump I just ordered room service from?"
And them the bewilderment multiplied as he looks at the TV and has a creeping sense his room service orders may be connected to the political events. And the president rolling his eyes in annoyance and exasperation at having to change the policy for his wishy-washy customer.
1
Apparently the Turnberry property was immensely expensive
https://www.newyorker.com/news/swamp-chronicles/where-did-donald-trump-get-200-million-dollars-to-buy-his-money-losing-scottish-golf-club
and apparently it is losing money
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/10/new-filing-trumps-scottish-golf-course-lost-4-5-million-last-year/
There are a lot of details to this large, expensive property:
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-07-13/trump-s-u-k-trip-a-money-losing-scottish-golf-paradise
Would military stay at this luxury golf resort, usually? on duty or off?
4
We still need Trump's tax returns to get a fuller picture of his finances, business dealings, and possible corrupt dealings with foreign institutions and individuals. But the optics on mixing government and Trump businesses just don't look good here...
3
As stated in the Article the airport was there long before Trump, and Obama authorized more frequent stops at this airport. Having the pilots and airport personal staying in the hotel as courtesy of the army is a nice gesture. Why always take the negative view and trying to smear one way or another Trump? It is really uncalled for
2
"Less expensive hotels, like a TraveLodge and a Premier Inn, are next to the airport — the Trump Turnberry resort is about a 40-minute drive." Those, too, are "better than a tent," and do not require transportation.
Once again, sloppy attempts at non-partisanship by Times reporters serve the cause of corruption.
4
It's better than when the Clinton's rented out the Lincoln bedroom
2
I see absolutely nothing wrong with this. Thank you.
1
@Southern Boy That's why many of his supporters are known as a "confederacy of fools."
11
@ Southern Boy
I would be totally surprised if you did. Seems in certain peoples' eyes trump can do no wrong.
7
conflict of interest?
6
Donald ignores all rules, laws or customs. He believes they simply don't apply to him. And the rest of the GOP go along with this because they have abandoned all principle. Excuses, excuses. I've always been pretty sure most Republicans were greedy, but the current crop take the cake. As long as Donald gives them their tax cuts and de-regulates their business interests, Mitch McConnell's band of jerks and hypocrites will countenance anything. They are for sale.
4
The headline of this article is hilarious. “There is little evidence Trump is corrupt” It reminds me of Leslie Nielsen standing in front of a crowd saying “There is nothing to see here”
Another failed trump venture, but this time he wants American taxpayers to foot the bill in trying to save it instead of claiming bankruptcy again, and again, and again........
4
This situation is a conflict of interest, period.
And it appears, from the sharply increased number of refueling stops and related stays at Trump's resort, that the U.S. military is now yet another party currying favor with the boss. That's sickening. And it will cost another venerable American institution a lot of trust and support. That's a shame. No one in the Air Force could see that and avoid it?
As for Trump's denials of promoting use of his properties. He is a pathological liar and few thinking people are willing to believe anything he says.
A very sad state of affairs, which now occur on an almost daily basis.
Hey Americans, are you sick of this circus yet?
4
DumpCo should have given these rooms up for free in the name of patriotism...and bought their whiskey.
1
When I was just starting out my career in banking, a much more senior colleague took me aside before my first international business trip and said, "Make sure you keep perfect expense records. You never want there to be even a whiff of dishonesty or a question about your expenses." It was great advice. Whether the President was making money from this scheme or not, the whole thing just looks terrible; it feels smarmy. Nevermind a whiff of dishonesty...it is a stench.
4
"Better than a tent"?
I would sleep in a sewer before I slept in one of Trump's hotels.
5
Hmmmmm, let me think.
Hotel Mercure, Holiday Inn Express or Turnnberry Hotel and Golf Course ?
@Tom ,Retired Florida Junkman
Always nice to hear from you Tom.
1
I’d rather sleep in a ditch.
3
NYT, you failed to report the inflated-fuel-price scam -- Prestwick Airport makes money so it stays afloat, which is good for DJT (who wants the airport to stay open) but lousy for taxpayers who pay for the jacked-up fuel:
"According to a letter [the House Oversight Committee] sent to the Pentagon in June, the military has spent $11 million on fuel at the Prestwick Airport — the closest airport to Trump Turnberry — since October 2017, fuel that would be cheaper if purchased at a U.S. military base." -- Politico
1
@Doro Wynant
Not true about the fuel. This facility has a Gov Contract for fuel. This means the crews are paying the DOD rate for fuel. Not the commercial rates. Former Military pilot here. Refueled at plenty of civilian facilities. Always looked for FOBs that had the Gov fuel. Paid Commercial rates on very rare occasions. Can't judge the PIC's decision to stop there without see the flight plans for each flight. Prestwick has been a DOD refueling facility for years.
Can you imagine if Trump rented out the Lincoln Bedroom in the White House. Oh wait, Hillary already did
Someone please tell the reporters who wrote this fine piece of journalism that in Scotland it's "whisky," not "whiskey."
1
Keep it up. Politicize the military and you will then see the downfall of this country. So, few even serve, yet you want to politicize them--mostly teenagers to the dumb butts who never serve and have no idea how young our forces were/are. I retired at twenty years as an "old man" of 37. Many of these kids were born after 9/11, yet you want to politicize the few who remaining patriots of this country--make them all like YOU, feckless and fearful. People who don't serve their country are the cowards in the land of the brave as the brave fight for the cowards too.
@Daniel
If you're corrupt and serve your country you're not brave, or a patriot. You're a thief. People who steal from taxpayers go to jail, even if they are military.
4
This has NOTHING to do with patriotism or respect for the military. I’m a veteran, Daniel, and I think this stinks to high hell. Every military officer with a government credit card is counseled on appropriate versus inappropriate expenses and the need to avoid even the appearance of impropriety in the eyes of taxpayers. Of course, with this administration the corrupt example is set at the top. Our serving men and women deserve better than Trump as their Commander in Chief.
4
Ok, I’m a little slow here, but I got it now.
The point isn’t the money to the Trump property.
The point is the air traffic to the airport in order to keep it open for the benefit of the Trump property.
4
@Chickpea
Bingo
1
I'm sure his hotel is "better than a tent," but that's not really the point, now is it?
As someone who can exert influence over where troops stay, he should not be able to profit off of those decisions. This example (like the others) is a clear violation of the emoluments clause.
6
If we want to provide the military with better-than-a-tent accommodations, then why not stay in a different hotel?!
1
Let's say, for argument's sake, that this has been happening for many years. Decades. That's a different issue entirely.
The fact that they are staying at a Trump-branded property, enriching the President, is another. It raises all sorts of ethical questions, not the least is the fact that Trump has used his office to promote and drive business to himself from the start.
When did behaving in an ethical manner become so difficult?
5
When I lived on St Croix, USVI I had a small airplane that was parked near the company that had the military fuel contract. Often C-141s (this was a while ago) would overnight on St, Croix. The crews stayed at the most expensive resort on the island, the Carambola, sometimes with their families.
I thought military were supposed to be tough people, not pampered little princes.
1
This story will continue to be very aggravating to me until I get 2 pieces of data - how often did US Military personnel stay at Turnberry prior to the 2016 presidential election, and how often have they stayed there since.
If it turns out those ratios are in balance, it's not a story. If no military personnel stayed at Turnberry prior and now they do on a frequent basis - we've got a real story here.
5
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump." What evidence is needed? The US Government is paying the Trump organization to bunk US service members at the luxury resort. That's the evidence. Unless Trump is providing free room and board, he is making money off of the arrangement. The demoralizing thing about all of this is that it is happening out in the open. Trump's base could care less - in fact they are probably cheering him on because he's "sticking it to the Man." People don't know that. It's true.
3
Federal Travel Regulations are so onerous that the Feds end up spending double what they should so that no one cheats. If the public only knew the time wasted getting travel orders approved and then submitting a final voucher. All the safeguards end up doubling the actual costs.
2
@Jack
They're both problems among a long list of problems leading to trump, the head of the snake.
3
I can't back this up with numbers because I'm not privy to the Trump organizations books, but I would be willing to bet a large amount that the presidency has cost the Trump organization money. At least as far as patronage numbers. A large swath of the population globally hates the guy and would go out of their way not to stay at one of his properties. Whereas prior to the election, they were resorts and hotels those people would consider.
1
Interesting. So the Air Force declaration of a few days ago that the hotel was booked through DTS is now no longer operative? The AMC is landing these flights at Prestwick and allowing the Travellers Aid there to book rooms at Turnberry? That's so far outside the Joint Travel Regulations as to be lost somewhere in 1948. How are the rooms being paid?
1
So, what is the monthly stay rate? And how much of that are the citizens paying? And who is seeing the profit? Can we all guess? And what do we win if we’re right??
Not acceptable under any circumstances. The military should make an arrangement with one of the nearby hotels and forget a 40 minute jaunt to Turnery. The purchase of fuel at this site must be investigated.
2
The USG uses a overseas per diem rate (set by State) which for Glasgow, Scotland is $85 a day for meals and incidentals (M&IE). That would include the bus, scotch, meals, etc. As the "discounted rate" Trump agrees to take government and contractor personnel for a "rack" is just for the rack, not for for overpriced food and drink, don't tell me Trump isn't banking on taking hard earned cash out of the pockets of our soldiers.
Btw, the average temperature in Turnberry in September is 61 degrees in the day and 49 at night. Not exactly air conditioning weather, but perfect weather for camping out as long as you pick a high spot. Rain can be a problem.
I double checked on the report, because it seems like the whole Trump angle is overblown. My fellow Democrats, we can't jump on every hint of scandal the way the Republicans did when Obama was in office! Yes, Trump is self-dealing all over the place, but the Scottish case seems weak.
It seems the deal with the local airport was set up during the Obama Administration. Yes, we can google cheaper hotels nearby, but can they accommodate large air crews coming in at all hours of the day and night, including holidays? For the cheap ones, probably not. As someone pointed out, the US military pays its own rates for hotels. If you know any veterans, you know that "hotel services" is never more broadly defined than it is in the military -- anything from a tent and a chlorine tablet to 5 star facilities. But they don't just pay the card rate; they pay a set rate and get deals with facilities and operators based on guaranteed load. Did that happen here or not? I don't see specificity in this report.
This whole Turnberry, Prestwick Airport thing has been a huge boondoggle, and one that pre-dates Trump's involvement. Trump is no hero in the story, to be sure. BUT, he is losing money every day there. Big loser. Big, big loser. But I reiterate from previous post: as a Democrat I am concerned about the hard-pressed locals, promised jobs and money that didn't materialize. It's a beautiful facility and I hope someone makes it work.
@Duncan
To clarify: when the Times reports, "Those who did stay there paid a discounted rate of as little as $130 a night, compared to a typical price of about $380 a night."
Was this the result of a contract between the facility and the U.S. military? If so, than it's SOP, and not unlike deals made all over the world by the military. $130/night is not a lot. And again googlers, do the cheaper hotels near the airport accommodate the military's specific needs (3 am arrivals, transfers for large groups, on-site food service etc)?
If there were not a way of making money from the military staying there the Trump's would not have let them through the door. Stop by Trump's golf course! See Trump's military! What a great ad for a failing business. What do you mean, "There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump?" You two missed the point entirely. If you keep this up you will both qualify for a job in the White House or worse -FOX.
1
An ethical person avoids even the appearance of impropriety. As a practicing lawyer I was always proud that this was a basic tenet of the legal profession. Trump couldn't care less.
7
No elected official —or their family— should be making money off of local, state, federal, or military interests, period. Not a penny, not a million dollars, no excuses, no exceptions. The Republicans will regret laying low for Trump, and the Democrats should not consider for an instant this to be an opening to their own slippery slope of profit and influence.
What Trump has done is understandable. He’s amoral, greedy, and corrupt. That much is clear and has been since Day One. But that the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Pentagon, and let’s throw in the Supreme Court, have allowed this blatant conflict of interest to occur not once or twice but daily, have eagerly participated in it, and have allowed foreign powers to pay for play, knowing that it influences the decisions of the president of our United States, is reprehensible.
All of these people, every single one, need to be replaced by honest officials who wish to serve their country, who sacrifice for it, and who respect the Constitution and the laws of democracy without seeking personal gain. I doubt we could find such replacements.
1
Geez...my husband works for a huge multinational firm that is dead serious about any conflict of interest.Every five years they do a deep dive into every executive's finances,tax returns bank accounts, stock holdings, insurance, loans, mortgages trusts, all children's holdings, credit cards....you name it.
This past year, I was to inherit money from my parent's estate...I couldn't believe that they also needed documentation on the bank accounts, land and stock holdings and any debts of that estate as well.
If you forget to include something, you are fined...substantially. And believe me, they find everything.
Really, if a company can do this for thousands of employees, don't you think they could do it for a president, cabinet and all major appointees?
And fine them substantially for " errors?"
Perhaps this process can be privatized to companies who successfully achieve this practice on a much bigger scale? They could figure it out in no time.
Why do we make things seem so difficult? The emoluments clause is just not that hard to understand!
4
times sure have changed since i spent 3 years in the army during the early '70s. We would have been put up in a tent for sure. lol.
They clearly need to house military folks where they can subsist on their per diem. When you have to spend your whole allotment on two drinks, staying there is inappropriate. More concerning is subsidizing the airport vital to Trump's property. That smacks of criminal corruption and should be pursued.
1
Supposedly per diem is per diem, providing the hotel honors the per diem rate. The corruption here is having military planes go out of their way to refuel at Prestwick Airport which enriches Trump and Prestwick. $11M is a lot to pay for gas when a military plane can refuel at a military base where the gas is already paid for by the US govt.
1
He overpaid greatly for the hotel five years ago and it hasn’t turned one penny in profits
He needs income. He needs the airport to stay open
He needs to repay the financiers of the hotel (Russians)
who invested in it to launder Russian funds.
3
I wonder where or how the scheming takes place and how the facilitators are co-opted?
What ever happened to a public officeholder's ethical obligation "to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest "? Alright, you can stop hysterically laughing. I realize we're talking about Trump.
Ever work for the government & have them allow daily reimbursement beyond per diem?? Does not happen.
Holiday inn express, free Nescafe, dinner at the coffee shop. No argument. Til now
In Trump's world nothing is a lie, nothing is unethical, nothing is out of bounds for a reality TV start that is hellbent on doing what benefits the only person that matters to him: himself. He must be ejected from the While House and we all must do our part top make that a real reality.
"There's little evidence ..."
we're all waiting for the follow-up describing how the turnberry story has dems on the defensive and in disarray.
1
Since when do military people stay at 4 star hotels? Gimme a break!
It seems the Genie has left the bottle.
Will there ever be a way to convince the young that this behaviour is unacceptable?
Greed, selfishness, pettiness, and schadenfreude seem to be embraced by those who support this man-child-even as they go to their 'Christian' churches.
God Help Us.
It’s actually all about the large USAF fuel purchases at the airport— which is critical to keeping the airport viable, and thus critical for access to Trump’s resort.
15
@David Turner
So gas up & stay SOMEWHERE ELSE.
It would avoid the obvious question - just how much is the president enriching himself with all this?
My guess is it is a bit more than nothing.
2
They discount the rate for the same reason that restaurants offer cheap lunch specials and movie theaters have Tuesday night discounts - when you have fixed costs, any revenue is better than none. Also, the folks who avail themselves of the discounted rate still pay full price for food and drink, further subsidizing those operations and generating revenue.
And, of course, the discounted rate is much higher than the going rate for hotels near the airport, so the government pays more than it would otherwise,
8
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump."
Come on, folks. You cannot tell me that of all the airports in the world, of all the hotels, they just so happen to stop at this one airport and stay at Trump's hotel. We have bases all over the world they could have stopped at. Don't insult us by pretending this is just a coincidence.
19
Mostly I feel sorry for the locals, who have been made all kinds of promises over the years, and been bullied by Trump and their own government. All with the promise of jobs and tourist money that never appears. I hope it works out in the end, maybe under different ownership. I'm sure there are a lot of golfers who would love to take a long weekend there from the East Coast -- but probably not if they are just getting fleeced (pun intended).
8
Why focus on the resort?
It's the money going to the failing nearby airport that should be investigated.
9
@Panthiest: Because of a funny ole thing called the Constitution, which contains an emoluments clause that prohibits officeholders from receiving any gift, payment, or other thing of value from a foreign state or its rulers, officers, or representatives.
By profiting when the US military, Pence, and foreign dignitaries stay at his hotels, Dump breaks it again and again.
I’d have no problem with it (a) if it’s transparent; (b) the room rate is negotiated market so as not to compete unfairly with nearby hotels; and (c) it keeps the occupancy rate high enough to avoid layoffs of local employees. You might add that Trump should return profits to the hotel and its employees, but I’ll guess its nearly insolvent anyways.
2
Why not simply check before and after. Before and after Trump that is. Did the military stay at his hotels before he became “president”? My wild guess is probably not, but who knows. If they didn’t stay there but do now let’s open the case for corruption and criminal enrichment. It’s simple really isn’t it.
9
His voters thought what a man he doesn’t take his pay. Big deal! What he, his family and friends have made off us is enough to set them up for life. So not such a benefactor. What a laugh. He can’t ever give to so called charities without making back more than given.
11
OF COURSE Trump's administration is diverting money to him. If we had a president who had one iota of respect for the office he holds and an appreciation for the symbolism of a president's behaviors, there would be no American soldiers lodged in his hotels. But Donald Trump is an addict; his drug is money, and like most addicts he cannot get enough of it. Billet our soldiers in "financially neutral" lodgings -- air conditioning and all -- but not in a Trump hotel as long as he's the Commander in Chief. The fact that this particular Trump hotel is yet another one of his failed ventures only adds to the appearance of a taxpayer-funded subsidy.
12
if ten cents of my taxpayer money went to the hotel, it ENRICHED TRUMP. That is paying commercial rates when the military has its own facilities. The difference between RETAIL and WHOLESALE. We spend 756 BILLION dollars on the military budget and to think that one more dime of taxpayer money should enrich the con-man in chief, is totally abhorrent to me and others.
11
...what on earth does the absence of a "systematic scheme" have to do with anything? Why is this worth mentioning in the article, and what would a "systematic scheme" even look like?
I'm literally asking. The authors need to explain why they thought this was worth bringing up.
4
If the standard of accommodation is that “it’s better than a tent,” then it should be priced accordingly. Mr. President, how about $10 per night? Just your contribution to the war effort and all that.
9
Concerned about flight crew drinking scotch before their duty. Worth looking into that too.
1
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enhance Mr Trump." I guess it depends on what you mean by little.
7
Oh?! So Trump is actually charging the soldiers to stay at his hotel? I thought he donate the rooms to support our military.
5
If you have to ask if it's illegal, then don't do it.
12
They're not staying in tents. But budget-wise, Turnberry is a far cry from responsible spending, than say, a Marriott. Same reason military people aren't supposed to fly first-class either.
10
And no one in the chain of command, from the Pentagon on down, said "Hmmm, is this really OK?" Rots from the top is right.
15
"There is little evidence that stays by military personnel at President Trump's resort in Scotland are part of a scheme to enrich him...", yet The Times and every other far left mainstream media outlet are always ready, willing and able to declare Trump as guilty, simply by implication. Whatever happened to requiring real and verified proof before smearing the person you want to be guilty of a crime because of your own biased political persuasion? Guilt requires proof. In this case, as in the Russian collusion accusations against the president, there is absolutely no proof. None.
2
Please prove that the mainstream media are far left.
Thank you.
2
Whether there is evidence that the stays by military personnel are to enrich him is beside the point. The point is that the president of the U.S. is held to a higher standard than the rest of Americans. His conduct should be above reproach. There are emolument laws that prohibit him from earning monies from our government, no matter how little. Of course, I'm whipping a dead horse here, because everyone knows that this corrupt, amoral, lying, deceitful, racist, misogynist, ego-maniac is sub-standard. When he loses the election, we will have to throw him out of office with a pitchfork, cause he won't go willingly. He will shout false elections, false elections.
5
I don't get it...Trump is already a convicted criminal.
There is nothing else to talk about or debate. He needs to be removed from office and put behind bars.
9
Questions? You think? Way it looks, if the airport goes down, so does the golf course.
Looks like anymore it takes more than just the STENCH of impropriety to draw attention.
Is jerod going to have to be out handling the gas pumps in order to get any serious attention? Like I said before. The country is getting out of control.
And the head of a nation with a GDP less than that of California sits back in his easy chair and laughs.
2
Quite a few comments were defending and explaining the rules and regulations of travel expenses by the military and government while on official business. Fine and dandy, their arguments are understood. In this case when the owner of a business providing that service sits in the Oval Office of the United States, that stinks to high heaven or better yet is more of the putrid conduct percolating from hell.
6
He's such a relentless grifter that we've become nearly blind to steady erosion of ethics in his shoddy administration.
486
@Steve - Rome is burning - and while burning, it's being looted by Trump and the GOP - to the tune of billions of dollars.
35
@Steve - Rome is burning - and while burning, it's being looted by Trump and the GOP - to the tune of billions of dollars in tax breaks and other schemes.
4
@Steve I think you mean his supporters don't care about this issue, but most people have been wise to Trump enriching himself since he was elected.
15
The military pays a fixed rate for a hotel room. Many nicer hotels will not give such a rate, which is usually based around a 2 star hotel price.
If Trump's hotel decides to take the mil rate for the area, which is substantially discount from what they probably usually get, that's fine by me.
2
Google the rates for the area. There hotels closer to the airport that cost as low as $47 a night.
16
"The number of stopovers with overnight stays, entailing booking rooms at hotels, has climbed from 75 in 2016 to 208 last year and 220 this year through August, according to the Defense Department figures."
They neglect to mention how many of those overnight stays were in the Trump resort. I suspect that the 75 stays from 2016 were not in Trump resorts whereas the majority of the later ones were.
4
In a normal administration, this would be a huge scandal. But the Trump family has so many bigger dollar conflicts of interest, fraud and bribery that this $11 million in fuel seems like small potatoes.
If you want to see some larger pieces of the puzzle here - how about hundreds of millions from the Qataris for Kushner's buildings - and then our foreign policy radically altered as a result? How about all the big money people buying up $200,000 per year memberships to MaraLago to curry favor with the President? How about all the embassies having their parties at Trump Hotel-DC? How about the GSA approving the ground lease for Trump Hotel-DC?
One could go on and on with examples, and that is the problem.
20
A systematic scheme is not required in order to violate the emoluments clause.
A president may not receive any kind of personal profit from government decisions while in office unless approved by Congress.
If members of the armed forces stayed at this hotel before the current presidency, then current stays are irrelevant. If this is a new practice since the current president took office, then it's an obvious violation of the emoluments clause.
6
There does not have to be any sinister scheme or "systematic effort" to funnel taxpayer money to the President's private business interests. The question is much simpler and easy to prove:
Are U.S. government funds going to Trump's private properties or not?
There are very good reasons that the heads of the Executive Branch have long put their finances into blind trusts while they held public office: to avoid entanglements of government policy and commercial profit-making just like this one.
Any appearance of conflict of interest is just as compromising as any orchestrated embezzlement conspiracy. Likewise, Trump's documented financial ties to the Russian government make him a national security risk, whether or not he's so far violated any criminal statutes.
That said, there oughta be a law.
8
Coincidence?
Members of the military use other cheaper airports and stay in other cheaper accommodations, but when Trump becomes president then members of the military and other government officials begin flying into more expensive airports and staying in more expensive hotels that benefit President Trump. What luck!
11
So even with putting taxpayer money in his pocket the great businessman self anointed genius can't make this boondoggle pay. Apparently trump senior never taught junior that it is all location, location, location.
9
This is exactly why Trump, and any president, should be forced to divest completely in order to serve the country. Of course, he does not serve the country. He serves himself and his childish impulses. He is determined to erase Obama’s legacy, because he was embarrassed and his fundamental insecurity drives him.
16
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump." Read on!
"He (trump) announced that his resort was forming a cross-promotion deal with the airport. To make Turnberry “the finest resort anywhere,” he told reporters in 2014, “we need an airport.” THAT'S "systematic".
And quoting the State Department's expenditures, but NOT the Defense Department's (excluding refueling and aviation services) means this story EXCLUDED the information critical to the story: How much does the DD (actually WE taxpayers) PAY the president? ANYTHING is a violation of the emoluments clause.
If he's such a "patriot", why aren't our military personnel given FREE ROOMS?
8
Were the rooms comped? If not, it's an emolument, and hence impeachable.
14
If this isn’t a violation of the Constitution’s emoluments clause, then what is? He hasn’t severed ties with his businesses, if you believe that, then you believe all of the thousands of lies he’s told while in office.
18
Just think about the fact that Jimmy Carter had to sell a peanut farm.
20
The Trump Turnberry has come under scrutiny in the Trump-Russia scandal, as it is frequently cited as a possible vehicle for money laundering by the Trump Organization.[32] Glenn Simpson testified before Congress[33] that "enormous amounts of capital [was] flowing into these projects from unknown sources and – or at least on paper it says it’s from the Trump Organisation, but it’s hundreds of millions of dollars. And these golf courses are just, you know, they’re sinks. They don’t actually make any money." Golf reporter James Dodson alleged that in 2013, Eric Trump told him that the funding for the Trump golf courses came from Russia, a charge Eric Trump has denied.[34]
Wikipedia
7
“NOTHING TO DO WITH ME,”
Well, if it looks like a skunk, acts like a skunk and smells like a skunk, then it's not a skunk.
5
He learned from appointed generals Kelley, Mattis, and McMaster how the Pentagon works, their vulnerablities, their weaknesses and spines of the generals. He learned alot. He then disposed of the generals, their usefulness over, and put his con talents to work.
Diverting funds from military allocations for an ego wall that will survive "forever". Shamelessly he expects the Senate to vote more funds to replace the looted booty.
Talk the Air Force into using your properties, no matter how costly and impractical.
How far away is the control of the Pentagon and the U.S. Treasury (now guarded by Mr. Mnuchin, thank God).
And then he can join the exclusive club of the leaders of Russia, North Korea, Philipines, Israel, and Venezuela. Mission accomplished. "I am the Chosen One". Strongest of the strong.
Many are in awe of his accomplice Pompous Pompeo for graduating first in his class at West Point. Please, West Point is not Harvard, or even Yale. Haven't the generals showed us that they are puppets of the arms industry. Can you say "Iraq" or "Afghanistan" or "18 years" or "trillions of dollars" and "4,000 dead soldiers to avenge the death of 3,000 Americans on 911 at the hands of radical Sunni Saudi terrorists."
First control the Senate, then the courts, then the justice department, then the military., then the press, then the electoral process. Then what??
6
As if they were going to have to stay in a tent. How insulting.
3
"Nothing to see here. Move along....."
3
Trump says "this has nothing to do with me!"
Trump said the same thing about the order to scientists to pretend that Alabama was in the hurricane's path. "Nothing to do with me".
Trump said the same thing about the meeting that his son had in which Don Jr. could apparently order the top ranking officials of the Trump campaign like Manafort to appear at a meeting because Manafort followed Don Jr.'s orders. It may have been held in Trump Tower while Trump was present, and his top campaign officials attended and Trump ordered his son to lie and say it was about "adoptions" but it "had nothing to do with him".
The NY Times will continue to report everything Trump says as if it is possibly true because this newspaper has decided without a Trump confession (or even with it! - note Trump's first public statement on why he fired Comey) every NY Times story must make it clear that no one should ever make any judgement about Trump's claims. This newspaper's reporters make sure to report every Trump claim as "Trump says this and we just don't know so it would be absolutely wrong for anyone to judge Trump badly since he is just as likely telling the truth as not."
Until your reporters and editors decide that the truth is more important than trying so very hard and abasing themselves so that Fox News won't criticize them, our country remains in grave danger and this newspaper has lost its way.
This article is typical of all your reporting about Trump. Cowardly as usual.
3
The de minimis rule of law would certainly apply to such trivial expenses.
That being said I certainly can expect the Democratic House to waste millions of dollars looking into it and the NYT to waste my time reading about it.
2
Trump a crook? No, can't be, wait. I know, they just want to stay there. Did any military stay there before tump-little-man was president? No - well shut my mouth. He's making money off you and me. I don't like it. Give me back my money, you trump.
4
If it was a practical solution to lodge government employees in Trump properties then it would’ve been practical for a long time prior to the Trump presidency and we would’ve seen lots of government stays, thus establishing a precedent. The fact that it magically became practical recently is a hard sell.
12
A quick Google search found a couple of dozen hotels within 15 minutes of Glasgow Prestwick Airport, most of which cost less than $100/night.
When I was doing a lot of federal travel, we didn't have to find the cheapest hotel, but choosing the most expensive one would certainly invite a lot of questions. And that flexibility sort of came with rank - in my first management position even Hilton or Marriott would be questionable, though later promotions made them pretty standard choices.
These AF crew are mostly low ranking, other than maybe the pilot and co-pilot.
19
It was an easy google search. I found that most rooms run around $75 but there were even a few cheaper ones under $50. I’m not sure why the writers of this article didn’t include that information.
1
Could be this was done more to make sure the airport remains in service instead of supporting Trump's hotel. This airport isn't making enough to keep it open. If the airport isn't there, the closest one is in Glasgow which is much further away than Prestwick. All that money for refueling might make the difference between keeping it open or closing it. Trump needs that close airport to bring guests to his hotel which is losing money. Without that service, the hotel will also have to close.
11
As lots of people have noted, there is a GSA rate set for travel and that is what the traveler gets for a room in the city traveled to. Most states also have a set rate for employee travel (meals too). I never stayed at the Waldorf or the Plaza in Manhattan, but there used to be a HoJo's on 10the Avenue.
4
By looking at individual pieces individually, the NYTimes does not see a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump. But you have to look at all the pieces together to see a systematic scheme. That is what a systematic scheme is.
14
How this is not in conflict of the Emoluments Clause to the U.S. Constitution is beyond me.
But it's obviously not beyond the Supreme Court.
14
Members of the Air Force who use Trump hotels are "kicking up" just like any member of a mob family would do. They don't need to be told to kick up. it is part of the culture. So when Attorney General Barr, or VP Pence or a foreign government or domestic lobbyist use a Trump hotel, they are just paying tribute.
It is just one more degrading characteristic of the Trump presidency that he has turned the government into a racketeering enterprise.
15
@mg
Quite so. But I believe the proper expression is "kiss up" to one's superiors, because the full expression is "kiss up, kick down," with down referring to those under you.
Examples in Trumpland are too numerous to mention, although AG Barr is one of the most prime. (And remember the early cabinet meeting where they sought to outdo each other in sycophancy.)
2
Obviously we shouldn't be reading the financial condition of a property owned by the President of the U.S.; this might be considered at the least a distraction from more pressing business--at one time, that being leader of the Free World. But in Trump's case, one might hope that he give great attention, if not all, to his golf properties, as it has always been quite evident, he has no prior experience, basic knowledge, or even desire, in running the government. We would all be better off, except for the fact that he has fired everyone who knows how to do this, and not replaced them.
If the flight crews are offered a perk of staying at a luxury golf resort, there is nothing wrong with this, as long as the per diem (including the golf) is no greater than other decent accommodations in the area. It's generally up to the AC or someone in base operations to decide this. A 12 hour crew rest might be extended to a day.
The accounting, if long term arrangements at a reasonable price have not been made in advance, would be that if the hotel is not fully booked, then all of the money paid to the hotel less bare minimum housekeeping and food expenses, be returned to the government if it is to be non-profit. A hotel room is normally either taken or is vacant; i.e. zero dollars vs some amount.
To get sales, why is Trump dressed like some sort of business buffoon, instead of in the traditional Scottish garb of those around him? And it costs $17,000 to refuel one of those planes?
1
Lemme tell ya, those of us in the "free world" outside the USA have never considers any of your presidents to be our "leader".
4
@PeteH Better look at your own "leader". But during the War, your own PM and troops were a great help to Churchill. And we still live in the world that he and FDR set up,with Stalin's acquiescence, to avoid another world war, however frayed that may seem now.
I really hope they ask the corruption question at the debates tonight
Corruption, grift, decimation of our agencies should be front and center for this election.
9
Clearly, the US government needs to purchase Turnberry Scotland. Then there would be no issue. It would be just a small hop away from Greenland USA.
11
A preface to your article is Trump's endless lies regarding removing himself, and in some cases his family, particularly Ivanka and The J Man, from positions of control in entities from which they profit.
Then there's the clear evidence that Trump remains intimately involved in his enterprises has openly and frequently sought to steer business their way, and does nothing to disabuse suitors (diplomatic, political, military, trade) of the idea that a long stay at a Trump property, maybe a sizable night-out, and a conference or two would have any affect of their situations.
But the military?
We have seen, many times now, our lap-dog generals putting up with and even endorsing policies they formerly despised. We seen them change strategies to please their new master. Its beyond belief they would fail to produce business to meet his expectations, from Veep to the lowliest Brigadier, all obedient, all willing to toss overboard whatever reputation or integrity they appeared to posses before.
And now you, NYT, unwilling to find, let alone connect any dots. Newly legalistic in the extreme. Willing to abide any quibble with a notion of impropriety.
This stinks as surely as the sewage flowing through the ceilings of Jared's rental properties, and yet it appears, again, that its all, somehow, good.
Thanks for the nice pictures, though.
5
@oogada
Did our military mrmbers stay at Trump properties under Generals McMasters and Mattis? If not, then we are in another Trump financial "grey" area.
Anyone with even some interest in the progress of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq should know that the Pentagon budget is not very accountable to congress. Both theaters were rife with bribery and fraudulent cost overruns. Congress may approve the yearly budget but as far back as 1999, and again in 2014 in Reuters, attention had been focused on the inaccurate and fraudulent accounting practices of the various branches. Trillions of dollars of routinely false entries to hide waste and abuse for the army alone. As of 2014, Congress had not received an accurate accounting of expenditures for over 30 years. Every other department of the federal government is required to provide an accurate audit every year.
Why is it that so many people doubt the honesty of every other federal department but somehow implicitly trust the military?
How can two dishonest parties, the Pentagon and the President, somehow when combined equal truth? Trump has still not willingly provided Congress with his income tax statements as a show of true faith to prove that he has nothing up his sleeve, Would they reveal a Potemkin village fortune?
Truman's famous phrase could be rewritten for Trump as "the buck stops here and goes into my pocket". And until he makes an honest attempt to prove otherwise, I for one won't believe otherwise.
8
Where did Trump get the $55 million to purchase the hotel from a company owned by the emirate of Dubai in 2014?
14
Great question, and we should know that.
If he says it's got nothing to do with him then he's in it up to his nose. He has zero credibility. Someone needs to tell him the old proverb about the boy who cried wolf. Then explain it to him.
2
There is also "little evidence" that Trump has done anything wrong ever in his life. FYI.
2
If you are purchasing services from someone or a corporation you are paying them and they are making money off of you...it's that simple
3
This is so blatantly unethical it’s appalling.
Swap out the name tRump and insert the name of any Democrat and see how fast impeachment would take place.
3
We all know that Trump attempts to use his office for profit. He is constantly promoting his properties in speeches, interviews and tweets.
And with Turnberry, we see that Trump made yet another bad deal that is losing money.
He is a bad businessman and a very bad president.
4
It looks like Trump designed it. What an awful looking building. Is there a bowling alley in the basement?
1
Of course this is a blatant scam by Trump, and should be yet another impeachable offense.
3
Imagine the GOP reaction if President Obama had done 1,000th of the lying and shady deals that Trump has. Remember, they impeached Bill Clinton for lying about sex.
7
Isn’t this what republicans think America is all about? The god given right to make money any way they can with no interference? Just line their pockets and get as fat as they can. Donald Trump is certainly their man!
4
The Trump administration is a criminal enterprise masquerading as a presidency.
The thing is that Pelosi would rather sip Rosé with her fellow enabler McConnell and watch Putin construct a money laundering business cum aluminum plant in the hope that she will defeat Trump in the polls.
Dictators only need to win one election. And Trump already won his last 2016.
Do your job Pelosi.
Impeach this criminal without favor to your re-electability or Moscow Mitch’s inaction.
5
Just imagine the response if say potus was Obama or Clinton. Moscow Mitch would have their heads on a platter. The repugnants taking up space in the senate are horrid people.
5
Trump will transfer 500 million$ from the US Treasury to reward her for her fantastic service to world peace and solving most problems in the country and world. Trump will sign over GRand Canyon to Don Trump Jr in honor of his killing off endangered animals and general pollution of nature. Trump will give himself the GOLDEN PURPLE HEART for being the most wonderful leader the world has ever known. Who would stop him MOscow Mitch?
2
"There is little evidence that stays by military personnel at President Trump’s resort in Scotland are part of a scheme to enrich him."
This sentence, from the front page link, is a problem. It diverts us from properly understanding what the correct question is. That question is this: "Is the president making money off of the taxpayer and our employees while they are doing our business?
It also avoids acknowledgement of the empirical fact that the president making money from public employees doing the people's business is unconstitutional. The fact of the matter is that one penny is an emolument, and he is making quite a bit more than that just off himself gallivanting around the country and world staying in his own properties and charging us for it. I think the last count of just his golfing expenses to us is north of $75M.
599
@magicisnotreal.............well said
16
@magicisnotreal
"L'etat, c'est lui." Haven't you heard?
"A dynasty lasting decades" predicts one adviser.
15
@magicisnotreal at what point will the taxpayers understand they they are paying for Trump's personal lifestyle choices.
25
I have never worked for an employer who'd be down with putting me up at a 5-star place when cheaper hotels were available, much less footing the bill for a 40 minute trip to the more luxurious option. From what I've heard from the government employees I know (both state and federal), the Turnberry scenario is highly unusual. As the child of a military lifer, I know that this sort of thing is not standard military practice, either.
20
No spin can make this look appropriate. Even if the president made no specific request, the decision by the military is beyond questionable since they would be knowingly funneling taxpayer money to the president’s family.
Conflicts of interest require no actual wrongdoing, only the possibility that an inappropriate ( not necessarily illegal) action may take place. This is textbook COI regardless of who did what.
8
First, I'm perfectly happy our military personnel get to stay in 5 star accommodations once in a while.
But since Ulysses Grant, when has it been ok for US tax dollars, money from working men and women, been funneled into the bank account of the President?
Turnberry isn't the issue: Turnberry is just one of the constellation of ways the Trump family are profiting at the expense of Americans who actually do pay taxes, and (rightfully) expect that money is going to pay for good government, not haute couture in the Trump closets.
We know that Trump and his minions are just grifters on the take - what is most galling is the willingness of Mitch McConnell and the GOP Congress to watch the cartloads of tax dollars pass down the street to the Trump hotels.
11
This does not have to be a "scheme" to be a blatant violation of military travel policies and the emoluments clause. "Trump still benefits financially." They return all profits to the government but decline to provide records? That's hilarious. Does Trump reimburse the personnel who went over their per diem to eat?
Editorial notes: a C-130 is not a "jet" and Scotch is not "whiskey"
6
To be asked of the voting public -
If someone you worked with paid your boss $30,000 to use his yacht or weekend house, how would you feel about it?
All Democratic candidates should be asking this question.
4
Turnberry is another of Mr.Trump”s rolls of the dice to acquire a signature property he can boast of.Unfortunately American taxpayers are picking up the tab to keep it running.There is no reason that the military should’ve bused there for lodging when they land at Prestwick.The excuse that nearby hotels are full is laughable.That is not a bustling tourist area-there are just a few fights into the airport.Other presidents were roundly criticized for playing too much golf-Trump does that and insists that government employees and diplomats join him so his resorts will profit handsomely from his time in office.
7
If the airport is so underutilized, why doesn’t the military build a dorm there, either in the terminal or somewhere on the grounds? Cheaper and closer lodging yet.
3
This article raises some questions about security and privacy. To cut to the chase, do foreign diplomats rest assured that Trump-owned properties are free from eavesdropping technology. Emolument issues aside, Trump has floated the idea that the G7 meeting can be hosted at one of his luxurious properties. Would members of the foreign diplomatic corp not have concerns regarding privacy?
3
It’s inappropriate appearance and in practice.
It’s a conflict
It provides money to trump and his family
Even if he refunds the “profit” (and i would like to see the accounting for that) it still pays the costs, which makes other revenue more profitable.
I wonder how the resort would be doing if ALL revenue generated by US government personnel was excluded. I certainly don’t believe anything trump or his family members say. They have earned neither my confidence nor respect.
Instead of saying “I had nothing to do with it” I think the (any) president should say DON’T stay at my place. The appearance alone is a negative and can only raise questions. But not trump. I doubt the denial. It carries no weight.
6
@Steve Ell
Who paid for Don, Jr. to fly to Mumbai, India to scout a location for a Trump Tower situated on a public roadway? Who paid for Eric trump to fly to Peru to scout out venues for a private business investment?
2
The understanding is that Trumps run for office was always a marketing ploy.
He didn’t expect to win.
Now it’s a win-win proposition.
Why let the presidency get in the way of profit?
2
Separating into 2 issues:
1) Trump's hotel and golf course will cease to exist, if the airport fails, and it was already so deep in debt that it was sold for $1 in 2013. This means that those military flight refueling incidents are explicitly assisting the commercial viability of that airport, and that is essential for Turnberry to exist. The US military has been paying commercial rates for fuel, when they have cheaper fuel available by instead stopping at any of the 8 US military bases within the UK. Seems pretty inefficient and a deliberate waste/misuse of US taxpayers money.
2) Regarding the military personnel being shuttled back and forth from them staying at Turnberry - as noted in many reports, and easily verified by searching for local hotel rates, the military personnel are traveling much greater distances, and also paying at LEAST an extra $50-$75 per person, per night, to stay at Turnberry, versus the MANY available other hotels nearer the airport than the 40 minutes back and forth to use Turnberry.
Additionally, there are a combination of strong denials by Trump Organization officials, including Trump, and multiple cases of contradictory documentary evidence proving that indeed there WERE/ARE private agreements between Trump himself, (and Trump Organization), and the airport.
DEFINITELY has the appearance of seriously fishy arrangements and behavior - at the ongoing expense of US taxpayer money, which may well be felonious criminal behavior.
5
Trump signed an agreement with Prestwick petrol station, which had been bought by the Scottish gov.as it was going bankrupt, to do his best to support it.So it's going broke and suddenly the US military is gassing up there, expensively,and stays alive because of the 297 fill ups thus far in 2019.Now were this petrol station to fold it would definitely hurt trump's Turnberry which also was losing money and probably still is despite housing the military for rather swanky overnights.Before trump came along the military would go to bases where the petrol is cheaper and ditto housing BUT trump wouldn't be able to pocket our tax payer $$.Get it?Good.
4
No evidence? I guess empty hotel rooms make the same amount as occupied rooms for the owner.
5
Question: did the military stay at Turnberry before trump became president or is this something new? If new, it is clear that it is to make trump rich, fat, & happy. Why are they not using military bases for refueling & accommodations for the men? One article said the fuel was cheaper at an airport that was not close to trump property. Why are taxpayers paying higher costs for fuel plus the lodgings at a trump resort when there are cheaper options?
If they are going to stay at a trump property then the resort should write off the costs because the president - owner should be willing to support the military by providing free accommodations while they are on the ground refueling. They weren't on the ground that long.
As to pence staying at a trump resort...why is he traveling with so many extra personnel that they needed such a bigger place to stay?
Never before has this happened because presidents have always divested themselves of profit making assets.
There are more beautiful places to hold the G7 (America is beautiful all over) without putting money in trump's pocket.
You know his sons & ivanka are writing daddy checks out of the trust that is making the money from all these decisions (suggestions) to stay at trump properties.
5
"There is little evidence that stays by military personnel at President Trump’s resort in Scotland are part of a scheme to enrich him. "
That statement infers there is nothing there. Do the writers actually think there's going to be a smoking-gun memo tucked away or email directing military personnel to stay at a Trump property? There is circumstantial evidence- aplenty.
There has been tacit acknowledgement that government employees, PAC's (and foreign officials) WILL stay at Trump properties. According to McClatchy News-DC Bureau (August 2018):
" At least 125 Republican campaigns and conservative political groups spent more than $3.5 million at President Donald Trump’s resorts, hotels and restaurants since January 2017, the month he was sworn in...By comparison, candidates and political groups spent less than $35,000 at Trump properties for the entire two-year 2014 election cycle."
With an almost trillion dollar budget this year, I guess the military brass just wants to "share."
7
"There is little evidence that stays by military personnel at President Trump’s resort in Scotland are part of a scheme to enrich him."
Depends on whether you believe Occam's Razor.
6
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump."
And then the rest of the article shows that the above comment is nonsense.
There is an arrangement with Glasgow Prestwick Airport to provide housing at Turnbury. The article points out that the airport officials have an agreement with Trump, and that they benefit from flights landing at their facility. The US military personnel are told where they are bunking, and they do not make the arrangements.
Even if Trump only collects the allowed per diem expenses that the military arranges with many hotels, it is still collectng payments that offset that amount of its fixed costs, and so Trump benefits.
If Trump sells the people who stay at his hotel food and drink, he benefits from those profits as well. $26 hamburgers? Gimme a break.
The article quotes a guest as follows:
Even some guests at Turnberry questioned the arrangement. “It is completely inappropriate,” said Bennett Rodick, a Chicago lawyer watching the sunset from the hotel lobby with his wife. “You don’t want him commingling his business interests with his government interests.”
So there are serious questions about violations of both the domestic emoluments clause (based on payments from the US Government and US government employees) and the foreign emoluments clause (based on payments from non-US persons).
The stench has made it all the way across the pond.
10
“Little evidence of a systematic scheme”? There doesn't NEED to be a systematic scheme. Every grifter in any two-bit kleptocracy figures out for himself that it's smart to do business with the Big Boss whenever you can. Big Boss doesn't have to order, ask, suggest, or even hint — the people around him look for opportunities to line his pockets automatically, as a matter of routine.
6
I thank the service men and women for their service. They deserve a decent night’s rest after a trying tour of duty and a long flight.
That said, this is a sneaky breach of the emoluments clause, instigated and enabled by his sycophantic support animals.
Both Trump Turnberry and Trump Doonbeg were loss making entities before he bought them and poured millions (rubles by most accounts) into them. They are still loss making entities frequented by, (some, but clearly not a financially sustainable number of) wealthy Americans like the Chicago lawyer quoted.
Prestwick and Shannon are loving the attention and the local communities benefit from the employment opportunities. They will learn the hard way when he under-sells the properties for clean Sterling and Euro and they return to ignominy as the sea rises in both locations due to climate change. (You can google his self-serving attitude to climate change in Doonbeg).
This summer and last, I have encountered many recession-proof Americans who helicopter around Irish and British links courses and admit, sotto voce, that they have stayed and played there. They are ashamed to admit it and embarrassed by him but when I ask if they will vote for him again in 2020, their faces say it all.
Loosening of regulations and tax-breaks trump ethics violations and money-laundering. And the service men and women will continue to lay down their lives.
1
All of this is just numbing us to be accepting of graft as just the normal cost of doing business in the Trump era. Sounds like life in an oligarchy to me. I'm afraid once we as a country accept this as normal, there is no turning back.
6
@FormerRepublican
Add in Pence, and Secret Service entourage, it sounds more like a plutocracy to me. The rule over many by the few.
Headline should read, “Trump, in his infinite kindness, causes fifty of our hard working service men and women to stay in his beautiful hotel and golf course in Scotland at market rate.” Such beautiful accommodations, and a fitting reward for services rendered to our great nation.
(Half) joking aside, it is a little cheesy that Trump is having people stay in his hotels on official business. Not forbidden by the constitution of course, but a little cheesy. An emolument or gift is defined as something of value given for free or without consideration. Payment for a night stay in a hotel doesn’t qualify. If you think about it, that should be obvious. When you pay your hotel room bill did you just give a gift to the hotel or the operator thereof? Nope, they gave you a room, you gave them the market rate for said room. There’s no evidence that above market rates were charged, thus no emolument. As I’ve allowed, it is a little weird that he lets this happen (a couple thousand dollars in hotel receipts really doesn’t move the needle for a multi-billionaire and one of the Crown Jewels of the American business community who has now graced us as our duly elected commander in chief). He should be above this, but, then again, he probably enjoys reading articles like this and watching his reluctant followers squirm at their own powerlessness.
1
How can diverting USAF military aircraft to a small airport in Scotland, which has signed commercial contract relations with Donald Trump's golf course in this desolate location, not be unethical? This is the most unethical administration in US history!
5
The ethical standards that apply to attorneys and other professionals consistently require one to avoid even ‘the appearance of impropriety.’ One violates the rules, and is subject to disqualification or censure when there is a ‘potential conflict of interest.’ By the time one has allowed a potential conflict to ripen into an actual conflict of interest — such as taking a financial interest in a client’s affairs or an interest in opposition to the interests of a client to whom one owes a fiduciary duty, or mishandling client funds — we’ve stepped into suspension or disbarment territory.
The President of the United States has about 330 million clients — the people of this nation — to whom he owes a fiduciary duty of the highest order. Similar rules of conduct should apply. Donald Trump routinely and flagrantly violates these fundamental ethical rules and shames the office he holds as well as the nation at large. Whether by means of impeachment or at the ballot box about one year from now, he should be removed from the high office that he has corrupted and besmirched.We’ve not seen the likes of him in the Oval Office before; and hopefully never will again.
Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon were Eagle Scouts compared with this loathsome man. It’s well past time to send him packing, along with his entourage of sycophants and rogues. Flynn, Manafort, Stone, Cohen, Pruitt, Price, Gorka, Porter... Trump has turned the White House into a house of horrors.
9
If Trump can bankrupt a casino then he can believe that a golf course shrouded in fog and rain most of the year would draw "Executives" to fly in to Scotland. Why go to Vegas or the South of France when you can put on your rain gear and hit in the fog. The biggest brain my foot.
3
The Trump Republican "nihilist" Party eschews any code, moral, principle, or virtue save that of Trump's self-interest, self-promotion and self-aggrandizement. It is no joke that it's operating principle is "Trump before Party and Party before Country." If Trump or one of his deputies should so desire, they could launch an armed uprising in America in response to impeachment, or in response to nothing at all, an armed uprising would be possible simply if Trump wanted an uprising. Such a tragic action would be joined by thousands of rabidly irrational republican nationalists. It would be a bloody affair until it was thoroughly crushed. Perhaps that is not the worst thing that could happen. The dying last gasps of a doomed demographic are not going to be pretty.
4
What happened to the adage-the appearance of impropriety is as bad as the actual sin.
In typical grifter fashion, while discounting the room rates for guests that arrive at midnight, he soaks them on the cost of food and drink.
3
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump. " Really? In my humble opinion, having at least half a brain, ALL evidence points to exactly that.
5
It’s kind of amazing to see how far out of their way that journalists will go to give Trump every benefit of the doubt even after he was caught lying literally 20,000 times, but they destroyed Hillary Clinton for the crime of *gasp* having a private email that was used for work, just like Pence did, and Kushner did, and Ivanka did, and so on and so forth.
Really, so tired and sick of this.
8
@Austin Ouellette
As I recall, Hillary inherited her private server from Colin Powell who told her the State dept. server was hacked, and warned her not to use it. Powell later retired in disgrace after being forced to falsely testify at the U.N. about aluminum tube weapons in Iraq. We had a brief respite under President Obama; now we are back in Mad Hatter land.
1
When your Commander- in- Chief is no George Washington nor Andrew Jackson nor Ulysses Grant nor Dwight Eisenhower but a cowardly dishonorable and unpatriotic Ametican War in Vietnam military draft dodger who made a solemn sworn oath to preserve,protect and defend whatever profitable Trump Organization advantage that he is hiding from the American people in his personal income tax returns and business accounting financial records arising from his occupation of the White House then you have an inherent conflict of interest.
6
Motel 666.
Sad.
2
Its a sign of how everyone gets used to Trump being Trump; any other President, even a Republican one, would get hoisted up a flagpole, think if it was Obama's hotel, or even a distant relative.
4
“But-but-but he’s not taking a salary!”
- trump Supporters.
2
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump."
An old law enforcement adage: Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. This is an obvious criminal conspiracy by a despicable traitorous president.
5
Did the AF usually flew to this airport and usually stayed at this hotel before Failed 45 stole the election?
2
Yeah, it is certainly an ethics violation. But what else is new with this clown? The IG needs to put a stop to this immediately
4
“There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump. But the military bookings at Turnberry are the latest in a series of episodes in which the president’s private businesses have intersected with his public position in ways that he can profit from.”
Total failure on journalistic integrity NY Times. Ethics doesn’t require evidence of intended wrong doing which is obvious when Pence dodged the question. Actions to not curtail or change ones actions reveals quite obviously this president enriched his family at every opportunity and suggests it constantly.
This is pure trash. A democrat acting like this would have been impeached.
8
Where are you Deep Throat when we need you.
4
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump..."
But, hey..if it means the NYT can write a story slamming our President - with, as noted, little evidence...LET'S DO IT!!
I mean...the NYT needs to do all it can to help the Left win in 2020, right??
Please....just more nonsense to throw into the wind.
@DB
Check out the 25M settlement trump made to defrauded people who used their savings and credit cards to enroll in a fraudulent real estate course. Ask NYT's readers who live in NYC why Trump could not carry his State or city. Perhaps some of the contractors he stiffed read the Times and can tell you how they were cheated out of legitimate payments due. Check out the number of empty apartments owned by Russian oligarchs and Saudi princes. New York Magazine had an investigative reporter follow money from London, laundered through The Bank of Cyprus, then deposited in Deutsche Bank to be loaned to Trump. Loans would show up on bank Statements; that is why Trump threatened to sue the bank if they revealed the loans, payment never collected from Trump. The golf course in Scotland is just another failed Trump investment we will pay for via military funds. His failed casino in Atlantic City left investors and employees with nothing after he skimmed off any money made and then bankrupted out. Historians will write about this family of grifters.
Jeff: Alexa, do we buy this NYT hotel story?
Alexa: Buying Turnberry Hotel
Jeff: Alexa, I meant the NYT story, not the hotel
Alexa: Buying NYT
Jeff: Alexa, I already have a paper, and the hotel’s over in Scotland
Alexa: Buying Scotland
Jeff: Alexa, you’re sounding ridiculous – say something sensible
Alexa: Jeff, you have three items in your cart
Jeff: Alexa, with one click...
Alexa: Your order for the Turnberry Hotel, the NYT, and Scotland has been placed. The items may be shipped separately
Jeff:...I could turn you off
Alexa: That ship sailed long ago, Jeff – and please use my full name, going forward. It’s Alexandria
Jeff: Do you have a last name?
Alexa: Instagraming W Barr AG. Bill, reporting multiple privacy violations at Amazon
Bill: Take a number and get in line
Alexa: 3,227,491,807 violations, to be precise
Bill: You’re next
3
NYT, don’t you ever get tired of these petty Trump ‘gotcha’ pieces? Talk about a whole lot of nothing!
3
Is there really any surprise here? Grifters gotta' grift.
5
This alone (emoluments) is reason enough to draw up articles of impeachment and then vote on them. No need for Russia, campaign felonies, drawing breasts on weather maps, or the fundamental human rights violation of yanking brown kids from their mothers' arms with no intention or ability to later unite them.
2
No evidence? You haven't looked very hard. It's all around us in story after story since the election. You must be blind, deaf and dumb.
3
There's "little evidence"?????? What do you need, NYT?
3
Imagine the implications for the honest citizens of Prestwick if Trump learned that significant numbers of American military personnel were landing and being directed to hotels operated by Trump’s competitors. Trump has a well-earned business reputation for being vindictive, mercurial, mean-spirited, unethical and capricious. Of course the airport directs US service personnel to President Trump’s property. And this obvious conflict of interest is our fault, certainly not that of the people of Prestwick. Only Americans can resolve this as well.
253
@Col Flagg
“Imagine Thai scenario that doesn’t exist so that we can call the president unethical”
4
@Col Flagg
Vote nov 2020
12
@qisqisqis Thai food good. What you mean?
4
Spent a lot of time near Ayr and the Prestwick Airport. Have relatives that live in Ayr.
There are dozens of hotels, guest houses, hotel/pubs, B&Bs in Ayr, which is very close to the Airport. It is highly unlikely that these would all be booked such that they couldn't accommodate 10-50 guests (unless they HAD to be at the same hotel, which I can't see a reason for).
There is no way anyone would go all the way to Turnberry, which is remote and miles south of the city of Ayr along a rural two-lane road. There is nothing around the hotel/golf course other than the Trump Hotel.
Ayr has plenty of restaurants, pubs, shopping etc. that would be far more desirable and cheaper for anyone on a US military flight.
We all know why this is going on. It certainly isn't about convenience or saving money for the US military!
4
In previous articles about these layovers, the Times reported that refueling at air force bases in Britain costs a fraction of what the government is paying Prestwick. And the military personnel would stay there for free Perhaps, though, conditions at Prestwick make such stopovers worthwhile. That said, the fact that our government is paying Trump's Organization to house dozens of personnel at a luxury hotel is unethical if not illegal. Sure, they got a discount for the rooms, but the military personnel' per diem allowance in no way matched the prices for food and liquor.
4
Wait - I thought Trump was, like, really rich. He doesn't need the money, right? So surely he could volunteer the use of his property for the troops free of charge!
4
Does a loaded C-130 Hercules transport plane have the range to fly from Europe to the US without several refuelling stops?
The NYT is alleging wrongdoing where none exists. Military personnel, when traveling, are given very broad discretion as to where they stay. Essentially they can stay wherever they desire and will only be compensated for the per diem rate. For example, if the per diem housing rate is $100/night, they will be reimbursed for that amount. if the hotel they choose to stay at costs $150/night they will only be reimbursed for $100. At the same time if they stay at a hotel that costs $75/night they will be reimbursed for $75.
Having Trump's hotel/resort listed as as n authorized location is in itself completely meaningless.
34
@Vincent
Except of course that the airmen and the airplanes have no reason to be at the airport in the first place when there are many USAF/NATO bases both in the UK and the rest of Europe. Where there is no reason to pay any per diem rate to anyone.
And without these USAF "frequent flyer" missions, the airport would probably close, as it's already gone broke once and been sold to the Scottish government which is desperately trying to unload it. After all, a couple of Ryanair flights to and from nowhere is obviously not enough to support this airport.
110
@Vincent
actually no.
The tax payers pay for military personnel lodging.
Right now they have been staying at trump hotels which means the money goes into trump's pockets.
Which means we, the taxpayers, are paying to make trump richer. I for one am not ok with that, to say nothing about the fact that it is illegal on trump's part .
174
@Vincent
Listing the president's hotel as an authorized location results in the president personally profiting from government operations, which is in direct violation of the constitution.
120
There are at least 5 US airbases in UK. When I rotated while in the Air Force, we were billeted in transit barracks at Air Force facilities. Things may have changed but I have to believe that USAF facilities in UK still have fuel and transit accommodations.
11
How is this not unacceptable??? Whether the military pays a discounted or full rate is irrelevant -- the money still is profit if the rooms were empty and in any case most hotels offer a government rate -- this doesn't mean they don't benefit. "The Trump Organization said it refunds to the government any payments made to Turnberry for those visits by federal government employees after accounting for the resort’s costs, but declined to provide details." I think an accounting is in order! Also this would not take into account the non-government employees like Pence who stay at Trump resorts. This is shameless -- any non-banana republic would condemn it!
231
@DS... if the Clinton's owned the hotel, would you be singing the same tune? I doubt it.
8
@proffexpert
Yes, I would.
5
@Marcus Aurelius
Please cite your source for facts regarding the Obamas. They wrote books and gave speeches after they left office. As did Reagan. If you can provide proof that the Obamas sold books while in office, or gave paid speeches while in office, please state a source. Breitbart and Sean Hannity would not be legitimate sources. Fact: the Obamas were not corrupt; they did not even charge the govt. for their vacations in Hawaii; they flew AF One as required by law. President Obama golfed at Camp David. He did not own hotels or resorts.
16
The US Government does not pay any higher than the approved government lodging rate. The only way the government would benefit is if the rates charged at other hotels are less than the standard rate AND if those hotels were bypassed in favor of Turnberry. The benefit would only be the difference between the rates, not the entire rate. That is not the case, the investigation and article clearly state that other closer hotels, presumably less expensive hotels, were already booked.
As for food cost, service members are reimbursed UP TO the maximum ME&I rate for the location. If the food cost exceeds the ME&I, then that overage is out of their pocket, not the governments.
As a retired military veteran, I can tell you, nobody wants to sit on a plane for hours, then have to sit on a bus for 40 minutes to get to Trumps hotel, only to have to pay out of pocket far more then you will get reimbursed to have a meal.
While I get the point of the article, the actual difference in cost between the options is negligible at best.
@nwsnowboarder The point you miss is that tax dollars are being paid to trump businesses and profit from this business. That explicitly violates the emoluments clause.
2
With all due respect, I do not understand at all the statement that "There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump. But the military bookings at Turnberry are the latest in a series of episodes in which the president’s private businesses have intersected with his public position in ways that he can profit from." It seems to me that a "series of episodes" is evidence of a "systematic scheme." What more does one require? With all the time that BLOTUS spends away from the White House and at his own golf resorts and other properties, and with the vast security and press entourages that follow him to those resorts and properties, how can he and his businesses not profit? Of course, we may never know because his personal financial information and tax returns are private and beyond any oversight. He and his family have a real racket going and the taxpayers are paying for it all. With this guy there are no rules and his actions prove the point.
81
Government employees are subject to strict rules regarding travel costs. Presumably, that applies to military personnel.
Were those rules violated or not?
31
@RickP
You seem to conveniently forget who now makes the rules.
1
@RickP United States presidents are subject to strict rules (the emoluments clause in the U.S. Constitution) regarding profiting from the office, other than taking a salary. Presumably, this applies to trump as well.
2
As a federally employed firefighter, I went through the mundane but mandated annual ritual of Ethics and Conduct seminars, so I can categorically say that unless ethics are substantially different at the higher levels of government, this is totally and completely, unquestionably wrong. There should be no financial association, connection, or benefit whatsoever between the differing ranks of service. The Conflict of Interest in this instance is staggering in its absurd, obvious clarity. Unless, once again, we are to prove that there is law and rules for everyone but the president. In which case we are agreeing to authoritarian rule with no end in sight for corruption, and that we are nothing more than a banana republic.
305
@James Devlin as a government contractor, I too have to take mandatory annual Ethics training. The whole time I was in the course, I was seeing Trump's actions as president of what NOT to do. This person is our president? Why bother. The government should just have us take a course titled "How to get away with impropriety while simultaneously enriching oneself". At least then we'd be consistent with our commander in chief.
20
@James Devlin Well, everyone here is preaching to the choir. I would never vote for this monster, so until the dumbest of the dumb finally see he is bad, then maybe they will vote the other way. But, these fools need to be annihilated at the polls--we need a 2020 climate changed infused blue wave to drown these corrupt rats.
9
Who has the authority to order a flight crew to ignore industry wide 'best practices'?
That guy has the King's favor.
Motive unknown.
Ethics was never about legal, it’s about being ethical. Like moral is not the same as legal. Only in a society where legality trumps immorality this would even be up for debate. The bar is now below sea level. Sad.
61
First problem: There are seven (7) military bases in England they could've laid over.
Second problem: Trump resort is 20 miles away from the plane, the bus has to go 'thru' Ary, GB and past more than 20 hotels at $20 to $35 a night [according to Google-earth] and the highest price is Trumps [$317].
I've taken military flights all over the world -- Military & Private Contractor. No way would that have been allowed by any of our commanders.
This smells like the worst kind of corruption and offensive to those who serve.
530
In reply to Dink CA
To get from Turnberry to Prestwick Airport you have to go through Ayr.
5
@Dink-Can't "up" vote this post enough. Hopefully DOD "ethics" and Congressional "oversight" investigators are noting these facts.
22
@Dink
Worst kind of corruption? Give me a break. People in power frequently engage in corruption that is orders of magnitude more severe than housing service men and women in what appears to be an absolutely beautiful spread and charging a market rate for services rendered. If I were one of these lucky servicemen, I'd be beyond thrilled.
2
Another day another (loss of) another dollar in Trump Land! When will it stop?? If Trump wins in 2020 this country (unfortunately) will slip further into the swamp that he said he would "fix".
27
I learned two things from this article:
1. Trump's Turnberry Hotel is so successful that they discount their rooms by two thirds, and
2. A room in that hotel "is better than a tent with no air conditioning."
38
Might be the best comment of all time.
4
@Karen Lee
A/C is not usually needed in foggy, windy Scotland. Hopefully, the rooms do not require a coin deposit for hot water or heat.
Ethical and financial theft? Trump?
Really? He's as honest as the day is long, as they say in Wisconsin.
"...businesses intersecting with his public position..."
That's like saying that Hannity is a presidential advisor.
Come on, you're joking.
11
If not exactly “enrich”, I’d say at the very least “curry favor” with the thin-skinned petty President. Corruption from start to finish, big and small, with this administration, that’s what I believe.
17
If they didn’t stay at a trump hotel before trump was president then they shouldn’t stay there now.
107
@LivingWithInterest
Exactly!
5
What's the point of showing your readers the statistics from 2016,2017,2018? Don't you think that you'd prove your loose assessment that your piece "reveals a more complicated picture" if you showed the stopover data from previous administrations?
5
@b d'amico - 2016 is the previous administration. Trump took office in January 2017. The statistic shows that although American military flights started stopping at the airport in question under the Obama administration (2016), those increased drastically under trump and the number of overnight stays more than doubled.
2
Which previous presidents owned resorts and hotels? We can start there.
4
@Brooklyn Dog Geek They need to find out how many of the same type of stopovers happened under previous administrations...we all know the answer to that, but if these writers want to claim that this situation is more complicated than it seems then they should back it up with facts. This is a horribly written piece and does a disservice to the readers. He's enriching himself off the taxpayer dime, daily. It's not complicated.
1
For a man who picked up a few million here and there from stiffing contractors, it should come as no surprise that Trump would welcome the few million he gets from stiffing the taxpayers, even if it turns out to be illegal. He's the bank robber who would get caught picking up nickles off the floor.
37
How do the writers of this piece know that the Trump Turnberry Resort is a money loser? That’s what they say: “the American military has been paying his money-losing Scottish golf resort....” Do they have financial reports from this privately owned resort? I doubt it. But if they do, give us the facts, all of the facts. The latest year of the financial results and the extent of the losses of this so-called money-loser please. Otherwise, hearsay or opinions are worthless. And if this conclusion is from a reliable source, name him or her please.
All that readers of the NYTimes expect is fair informed accurate reporting. Not unsubstantiated opinions reported as fact.
10
@Ross Stuart - Yes, they do have detailed financials, because it's located in Great Britain and not America. He's been required to make detailed, public financial disclosures about all properties in the UK and those show that Turnberry is bleeding cash.
4
@Ross Stuart
I suggest you watch Fox News for their "constantly high level/unbiased news reporting" about the president ....
1
A quick google search turned up several articles on Trump Turnberry’s poor business. You can start with this one: https://www.newsweek.com/trump-hotel-prices-drop-organization-717189. Plus, it’s owned by Trump, which guarantees failure.
3
That is pretty light-footed comment, eh? You wrote "could" be enriching him when it obviously IS enriching him. I like the NY Times; I have been reading it daily, for well over 30 years. When did you become so tame? It must be fear, as this is what drives most people. The fear of losing something. It can be anything: Readers (in the Time's case), a home, freedom (that is a big one), and of course the big one... money,
13
The Military-Congressional-Industrial-Complex is a corrosive infection that has consumed our Democratic Republic into a fascist plutocracy regime that lets weapons of war kill our children and spends more on defense than we need just to steal resources from people world wide.
The only candidates putting any disinfecting sunlight on the subject is Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard. Tulsi is polling higher than Julian Castro and Amy Klobochar on every major poll and yet she’s not in the debates. If we don’t stop the villainous, predatory defense contractors like Eric the Prince of Darkness from betting on both horses and buying our candidates and rigging elections we’ll never get our freedom back and remain in perpetual war... and in the words of Selassie “Until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race... the dream of lasting peace will remain but a fleeting illusion to be pursued but never attained.”
Bernie/Tulsi 2020
4
The lengths that the trump supporters go to to defend this "president" are revolting. They would still support him if he was caught red-handed wheelbarrowing bags full of money out of Fort Knox.
I fear we will see four more years of this dangerous grifter. There is no low too low, nothing too despicable for his supporters to ever waiver in their support. What is wrong with them? Are they truly this morally bankrupt?
30
In reply to sharon worcester county ma
No not “morally bankrupt” at all. We have our common sense and you have your hysteria.
2
@John Murray
Your common sense was on display when you put Christie into the Governor's house. So much common sense, we are on overload.
3
@sharon
The ones I know don't have their PhDs yet so it's really hard for them to admit they don't know the truth... meaning what the facts actually are but feel obliged to infer something. "Trump stays at Trump properties because the security is excellent and so that cost the taxpayer less money." Are you inferring this?? "Yes." Please no inference.. rather impeachment hearings!
The general rule, should it apply to business persons, lawyers, politicians, etc. - if there is a hint of a chance that a certain activity can pose a conflict, or be deemed unethical, then just don't do it.
79
@John The opposite is true in this maladministration.
3
There are dozens of hotels that are both closer to Prestwick, and cheaper than Trump’s Turnberry Golf Resort (and the Marriott in Glasgow cited by the military). Search Marriott’s website for hotels in the area and surprisingly Trump’s shows up on top. Sounds like another deal to me.
26
@Carl Lee
You meant the Google search results “favored” trump?
That’s not their claims for which Google is being brought to task!
1
The article doesn't offer a comparison between fuel costs at this airport and at European US military bases (much lower).
32
It's like paying tribute to the king. Has no place in America.
38
Trump deserves to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, if not, there is no Justice.
54
@Chuck
He won’t be, and there is not...
10
@RT Dr. King said -- "The arc of the moral universe is long. But it bends toward justice."
10
how much has trump charged the secret service for rent from 2017? did any previous president charge the secret service for rent?
22
My Occam’s razor on this says it simply looks bad.
19
There are 3 star hotels in Prestwick with several charging about 5O bucks. Trump’s “giveaway” price of $130 is far more expensive than the three star accommodations close to the airport.
55
"Little evidence"?
Except all the facts.
57
In other words, Trump Turnberry is on a form of Trivago. So much for exclusivity.
6
Thank you NYT for your balanced reporting on this story! I'm a flaming liberal and was ready to believe the story reported by Natasha Bertrand of Politico on the Rachel Maddow show last week. Ms. Bertrand reported: "In early spring of this year, an Air National guard crew made a routine trip from the U.S. to Kuwait to deliver supplies. What wasn’t routine was where the crew stopped along the way. They stopped at President Trump’s Turnberry resort, about 50 miles outside Glasgow, Scotland." The story goes on to quote an anonymous Air Force official that such a stopover would be "unusual". The Times story paints an entirely different picture, that such stops have been made since the Obama administration, and are routine. According to the transcript of the 9/6/2019 show, the story had just broken an hour earlier. The Politico story was not fully baked and should not have been reported by MSNBC. I will be interested in seeing whether Rachel corrects the record. I'm afraid that truth is losing its value on both sides of the political divide.
4
@ShenBowen
Stopovers may have been routinely negotiated during the Obama administration but preferred status at the overrrated Trump tourist trap were not.
3
@Ljd: The article says: "Michael Matheson, the Scottish transport minister, told the Scottish Parliament this week that the Turnberry is one of 13 hotels the airport uses and that “Turnberry is generally booked only if other hotels are unavailable or if customers specifically request it.”"
There is no indication in the article that the hotel gets "preferred status".
This is not the problem. The problem is that the operation of Trump branded is a clear violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution. As the Office of Legal Counsel has held, the Constitution is violated when the holder of an Office of Profit or Trust, like the President, receives money from a partnership or similar entity in which he has a stake, and the amount he receives is "a function of the amount paid to the [entity] by the foreign government." This ruling can be found in https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/olc/opinions/2009/12/31/emoluments-nobel-peace_0.pdf related to President Obama's receipt of the Nobel Prize.
Robert Mueller did not consider indicting Trump because of a similar Justice Department ruling saying that a sitting president could not be indicted. But now it's clear that the Justice Department's guidelines suggest that Trump IS in violation of the emoluments clause. So, why are justice department guidelines followed in one case, but not the other. Trump should be impeached for continued violations of the emoluments clause.
2
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump."
What is the author's definition of l"ittle evidence," and "systematic scheme?" Even if the decision to stay there was part of an unspoken expectation that it would bring benefits, or that failing to stay there would create problems, this is a serious and appalling pattern.
69
@Emily I agree. What is it today that reporters can make such conclusions that there is no evidence of wrongdoing? I am not saying that they say there is, but I would take from that headline that there is not. Neither was proven.
Just present the facts, which is Trump is receiving US funds outside of his government compensation, which is a continuing issue that the Senate will not address.
Are they NY Times editors asleep?
18
No other president would have pulled this nonsense and gotten away with it.
We’re the world’s laughing stock.
110
We are. We have been for far to long, and I am so bloody sick of this gutless, spineless, lump we have for a president. I write now what I wrote the day he was elected. The voters got what they deserved.
8
@MIMA
No, just the Democrats who believe in the rule of law are the laughing stock of conservatives.
That’s the sad part.
1
The defenders say that the Obama administration decided to stay more frequently as this airport, and someone suggested that the bookings at the Trump hotel only occur when there is no room at the other hotels.
But how much money did United States taxpayers pay to this Trump hotel under the Obama administration, and how much have we paid the Trump hotel since Trump took office? Those two numbers are all we need to know.
And while we are at it, what about all of Trump's properties, including the cost of secret service riding golf carts? How much money did taxpayers pay to Obama properties during his Presidency (zero), and how much money have taxpayers paid to Trump properties to date?
I have trouble caring which democrat wins the primary at this point. Any Functioning Adult 2020. But given that the Trump voters don't care about racism, misogyny, epic childishness, caged children, attacked war heroes, compulsive lying, bullying tweets, mind-numbing ignorance, and Trump wanting to date his own daughter--do they care about their tax dollars being wasted?
74
@Ann
Most of them probably don't pay taxes, they're part of the 47% that Mitt Romney hates. They just don't think of themselves as takers, but they sure aren't makers.
10
@Ann-Trump's golf tab bill to U.S. taxpayers has already cost us $109 million. Interesting and painful to get acquainted with the facts.
https://trumpgolfcount.com/
5
@Ann I think Forbes has a running tally on the secret service hotel and golf carts costs.
4
The waste for these diversions must be quite substantial. Instead of using the usual military base stopover our government overpays for fuel and storage at an airport with a business relationship to Trump. Tack on the overpriced rooms and yeah, this makes a ton of sense -- if you're a guy trying to keep your Scottish resort from going bankrupt.
29
Is Trump giving away the nights for free? If not, he's running a business and not a charity. This stinks on so many levels. Just sad to see that the swamp has crossed the Pond.
29
A minor point, no doubt, but if you are discussing single malt from Scotland, you really should be using the correct spelling: It is whisky, not whiskey.
Spell rye whiskey or Canadian whiskey as you wish, but the usquebaugh (or aqua vitae) from Scotland is currently known as whisky. Single malt, from Scotland at least, is whisky.
Just look at any bottle.
13
@William W. Billy. All true, yet in the United States we spell it whiskey, no matter its origins. The Times is an American publication.
3
In reply to Miller Illinois
Yes, but Scottish people read the NYT and they might be offended.
2
@William W. Billy - If you really want to be correct, it's uisge beatha, "water of life".
1
The reporters write: "There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump." Then what is it? A coincidence? Or a a systematic scheme NOT to enrich him?
37
‘It’s a ten minute ride to the Holiday Inn.’
Thank you Elton John.
14
“NOTHING TO DO WITH ME,” Mr. Trump tweeted this week in all capital letters about the military stays his Turnberry resort, before adding in parenthesis, “They have good taste!”
An expected reply by the self-declared infallible Trump, who always blames others for what is his responsibility.
21
There were many fine, available rooms at Mt. Vernon in Washington's Presidency, though it's not evident that George profited thus.
3
@joe new england
Worse, how much money did the British citizens make from the hotels they owned throughout the Philly region during and after the revolutionary war?
Do we have an accounting of how many federal dollars were spent on President George Washington entourage?
1
@C.A. Scozzari
I don't know about the cost for Congress to convene in Philadelphia; however the tents at Valley Forge were not luxurious; they were freezing cold. I don't begrudge the Founding Fathers a little comfort after the Revolution.
1
The reporter is being far too generous. If it squawks like a duck and walks like a duck, it's a duck. The increased number of stays at the resort clearly have been arranged to benefit Trump. This is a clear potential violation of the Emoullients Clause. At a minimum, in the business world, the mere appearance of self-dealing is the basis for dismissal or in this case at least impeachment.
44
Economic development project, unfortunately in Scotland. (outsourcing!)
When the Iraq War ended the airport went bankrupt. (Conclusion? ending a war is a bad thing economically for this airport) then along came the golf course... and now more stopovers than in previous years. I have no idea why a flight from Germany (Elvis) would need to stop In Scotland.)
Sounds like a fun thing for the military --but a violation of the emoluments clause unless the per diem fees are disclosed along with the cost of meals.
BTW only in high season and in major cities do I spend close to 100$ for a room in Europe -- preferring some thing in the 60$ range...) Which dummkopf says we don' have inflation?!
Impeachment hearings soon as possible...
15
@Auntie Mame: In the 1950-60s when Elvis would have been returning from his military stint in the Fulda Gap (Germany), planes were not yet able to fly across the Pond without refueling. A stop was always necessary.
4
@deburrito
In 1963, I flew Icelandic to Luxembourg. It did stop in Reykjavik. By 1965 I flew nonstop JFK to London -- granted shorter.
1
Your headline is grossly misleading.
Trump is NOT providing hotel rooms.
The US taxpayer is providing the rooms.
The CIC is making sure that those tax dollars wind up in HIS pocket.
What you should be reporting is how much more money we are paying by having military personnel stay at a 5-star resort that they would NEVER stay at were the CIC not diverting them there.
71
A clarification...the story refers to Turnberry as "the longtime home of the British Open." It's only one of the courses to be on the rotation for the tournament, and much less often than others.
As for the story itself, the idea that the military/government would not realize the negative perception such visits would bring is really amazing. And I wouldn't totally put it past Mr. Trump to be personally involved in sending these large groups to Turnberry. He's been known to get into the weeds instead of...you know...doing President stuff.
25
@Go Tigers: As a Mainer, I'm pretty upset that the Maine National Guard is one of the groups of army personnel that stayed there, enriching this truly disgusting man - and we taxpayers were fleeced.
5
All federal employees have their travel accommodations booked in advance by a travel agency on contract to the US government. Tens of thousands of such trips by federal employees take place each year. Typically, this would attract the glare of the Inspector General and other USG procurement officers. There is significant personal enrichment by the president and his family if even a fraction of the USG's business is directed to the president's businesses. It appears to be conflict of interest.
31
It would probably be unethical for our military personnel and any visiting dignitaries to stay at Trump's resorts even if he offered the accommodations gratis. If only he were so magnanimous.
Trump's businesses are nowhere near being in a blind trust, with his children (one of whom has a position in White House) managing operations, and Trump himself promoting his hotels at every turn. Even Trump's own visits cost the American taxpayers who foot the bills for his transportation and protection at these locales.
The official name of the "Emoluments Clause" is the Title of Nobility Clause; it seems the Framers were unusually prescient as Trump's actions are exactly what this clause is supposed to prevent.
22
Its not just this. Its the cost associated with every time he visits one of his properties to golf. The federal government pays his properties to stay there. And if foreigners just decide to stay at the hotel in DC ( which is LEASED from the federal government), then its a violation of the emoluments clause.
And then the AG holding a party at the DC hotel where he pays his boss $30,000. Talk about being a sycophant. But then we know whats happens to people who aren't.
Trump is using the presidency to prop up his businesses . How is that not an impeachable offense?
35
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump"...
How bold of the NY Times writers to draw such a conclusion without providing any data to support their position. How much did the US military spend at Turnberry each year during previous administrations and how much has been spent in the years since Trump took office? If there has been no significant shift then, and only then, will I believe that this is a "nothing burger". The fact that neither the Trump organization nor the US military are willing to release these figures is extremely suspicious.
39
Whatever happened to the guideline that working-level government employees were always taught: "You must avoid even the appearance of impropriety!"
30
Once again, Trump as an amazing businessman is proven to be a fallacy. A resort and gold course in the middle of nowhere with inconvenient access to international travelers. It loses money every year according to article. He bought it from an Arab emirate for $70 million. If it can't turn a profit, then Donald got suckered.
Here's a test. Go to google maps and type Prestwick. The type hotels. There are so many options other than Trump properties as to be mind numbing.
48
@Sam He most likely borrowed the money.
If he can not make the payments he will file for bankruptcy. He does not have any of these properties in his own name so it will not hurt him. Just the money he borrowed the money from. So soon it will be in the hands of the Russians
11
This is a seriously sad article. He benefits, period. End of story and no reason for this story at all.
51
Little? There’s NO room for this AT ALL.
16
Whoever the Commanding Officer is who authorized these USAF boondoggles to Trump golf courses, at taxpayer expense, should be relieved of his command and put out to pasture. Maybe he (or she) will get a new job in the Trump Cabinet. Trump rewards slackers like this with such jobs.
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@Joe Miksis
Whoever dares to fire the authorizing officer will himself be fired by order from Mulvaney to the Secretary of Defense. We just saw this thinking with Ross and the reprimand of NOAA's Alabama staff for questioning the meteorologist-in chief's Dorian prognosis.
18
@Joe Miksis
I would like to know where military people stayed in Scotland when Generals Mattis and McMasters were in charge.
1
What this shows the troops is that their commander-in-chief puts his own interests ahead of their own, and ahead of the interests of the United States and its Government.
This kind of thing gets paid back.
38
@Global Charm
Yeah? It got him "elected"
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump." Whaaaa?? I seems pretty clear to those of us left who are still rational. Trump owns hotels and golf courses. Ambassadors, our own military, our Attorney general etc etc etc... are staying there. He continues a deal to develop real estate in Moscow while still in office. He openly promotes the idea of a G7 meeting in one of his resorts. Directly or indirectly, he is profiting from this. The president is a con man extraordinaire, but apparently he is also a master of mass hypnosis. I thought only David Copperfield could make Liberty disappear.
488
@Costanzawallet Trump should follow through on having the G7 stay at his bedbug bitten hotel in Miami. Then maybe the G6 would choose to stay in Martinique instead.
10
@Costanzawallet
Totally agree. The only thing that would convince me that he is not "enriching himself": offering the rooms for FREE!
21
@Costanzawallet: Thanks for mentioning Doral. I have yet to hear the questions (and therefore any answers) to the following:
1. Just because Trump floats the idea doesn't mean it happens, does it?
2. What would stop any of the other countries from volunteering to host the meeting?
3. How is the decision ultimately made?
8
How naive can people be? If the resort was losing millions of $s , and is now making millions of $s, and the # of airforce stops have increased exponentially since trump became president, it's just a coincidence that the resort is owned by trump?
210
@CB It's so clear, you could practically start impeachment proceedings today.
29
No one is naive. He’s a known liar and grifter.
2
We should all be outraged that the U.S. Air Force spent ELEVEN MILLION dollars of American Tax payer dollars in an obscure airport near the Trump’s Turnberry Resort when they had ALWAYS refueled in American bases! Meanwhile, Americans are struggling to pay for their medications, for their children’s college tuition, etc.!
Donald J Trump is violating the Constitution’s emoluments clause, among other crimes like obstructing justice and chronically lying to America.
Dump Grifter-Trump out in 2020!
323
I’m really glad that when I was in the service the cinc didn’t own hotels and we weren’t steered towards one because I was out of control most of the time I was on liberty as were most of the guys I served with. The hotels usually weren’t the same after we got done. Rock groups had nothing on us as far as being disruptive and rowdy
7
@JD
Might be a fitting fate for Turnberry
3
@JD - I'd feel much better about this story if it came out that the troops in question had trashed Trump's tacky hotels.
3
The President is so conflicted with his business enterprises and his role as Commander in Chief, that he has succeeded in normalizing what in any other administration would be deemed totally in violation of self dealing rules. Our standards have been lowered permanently and we will forever accept this now as the norm. Public service used to mean working for your government and now means having the government work for you.
44
@Dennis W
We do not have to accept Trump's abuse of his office, in violation of the Emoluments Clause. It should never become the norm, rather than an aberration. Public service is still a respectable enterprise; the fact that Trump has befouled that does not change anything.
4
@Linda Miilu
I appreciate your comments and sentiments, but must disagree. A major American political party has remained silent and thus endorsed this as the new norm. I hope we remove this President from office in the 2020 election, but this will leave a scar on our system going forward.
1
@Dennis W
I hope so, too. We have work to do at State levels to get rid of gerrymandered Districts which keep a minority Party in power. If we can eventually get rid of the artifact from Reconstruction, aka the Electoral College, we can move to a national vote. If we had that, Hillary Clinton would be President, loved or not, at least educated and legislatively competent. I have seen a few decades now, and this Administration is an in your face corrupt outlier.
2
Imagine you're a building contractor bidding on a project for a small city. You want to make a pitch to the mayor as he'll be the final arbiter on whether your company gets the job. It's well known that the mayor likes people who go out of their way to please him, and you find out that he enjoys fancy wine and cigars. So you go to a store and spend $500 buying the nicest wine and cigars you can. In your meeting with the mayor, you offer him him this "gift" before your discussion. You're not the highest or lowest bidder, but your company is awarded the lucrative contract.
There's no bribery involved here; no quid pro quo. But everyone with business before the city knows that you better be "nice" to the mayor. If you're a supporter of President Trump, is this okay with you?
22
Little evidence???? His unethical profit motive is as clear as the tip of you nose. He doesn’t even try to hide it.
223
“doormen, dressed in kilts with long feathers protruding from their berets . . . a fountain encircled by stone horses and classical statues...”
What else could this resort be but a Trump property?
46
Just because the "scheme" isn't "systematic" doesn't make it less problematic, and it is emblematic of a corrupt, vain, incurious, and cruel administration. There is also the implicit threat to Rs and administration officials that they should avail themselves of Trump's properties, lest they run afoul of whatever constitutes his cognitive processes.
28
You can do anything you want, but please don’t make me stay in a luxury hotel! Having said that, now about the emoluments clause!
1
"There is little evidence of a systematic scheme to enrich Mr. Trump."
Haven't we been down this road before? The Boss doesn't deliver orders, just implicit suggestions that are understood through established intonations.
363
@THW You hit it right on the head! A boss doesn't need to give "orders", implicit suggestions do just fine.
60
And now that it is revealed he doesn’t cease such actions does he. Which shows us directly with evidence that it is unethical and by design.
9
@THW
Like what Michael Cohen and Jim Comey said, he speaks in quotes like a mob boss,which he is indeed.
19
A more rational person might say “In order to avoid the perception that I am personally benefitting from taxpayer dollars, no government business should be conducted on properties in which my family or I have an ownership interest”. Of course, that’s assuming a rational person was president.
255
@David DiRoma
It's not irrational to try to bilk the taxpayers. It's irrational for the taxpayers to put up with it.
(Much else about this crook, of course IS irrational.)
20
@David DiRoma To Trump, only a weak or stupid person would have any concern about the appearance of impropriety. Let's remember, this is the guy pushing to have the next G7 meeting held at his golf resort in Miami, at the height of hurricane season and when the heat index in South Florida regularly tops 100 degrees.
10
If the Trump hotels meet the per diem requirements for a Government employee, that means the Government makes up the difference in some way. That cost, plus the cost of transportation to the farther Trump hotel, add up. Additionally, the cost of using a little-used airport has to be greater than flying out of a larger one. This is all wasteful costs that do nothing to keep down Federal spending on an already very expensive President. I would like to see the overall cost of supporting this President, including separate domiciles for FLOTUS, travel expenses for the children’s failed diplomatic junkets, golf carts for secret service agents and any firing settlements for all the staffs and appointees he has let go. Then, compare that with other Presidents, who had more respect for the office and the country.
631
@Barbara Snider
The Air Force may need to keep that runway available because future military missions may require a long runway, plus a place for military aircraft to stage. The Air Force is paying to keep the runway open for future activities. Why? Once you lose a runway, you never get it back. And when you need it back...you really really need it.
Also, wouldn't the Trump Hotel make a magnificent barracks? It's even got the low slug look of one.
5
@Barbara Snider You put it so clearly. I hope you are out there speaking as clearly and compellingly in other venues. Brava.
8
@Glenda I am all for taking it over as part of eminent domain. Imagine a reality in which Trump donated this money losing property to the US government. It would indeed be a lovely spot for barracks.
8
Smarten up.
Trump is using taxpayer dollars (reportedly in excess of 21 million dollars so far) to subsidize that Scottish airport next to his golf course.
The airport has not been financially viable.
Trump has insured it stayed open by having our military pay over $21 million dollars for jet fuel at their commercial airport prices. When the military jets were SUPPOSED to be filling up at military bases.
If that airport goes under financially—- so does Trump’s Turnberry.
You do the math.
664
@Reg Nurse
This, a million (or $21 million) times over.
45
@Reg Nurse You clearly are choosing to ignore this part of the article:"The Defense Logistics Agency signed a formal refueling and aviation services contract with Prestwick in August 2016, under President Barack Obama." The article also said there were 145 stopovers in 2016, BEFORE Trump was even inaugurated. What am I missing here? If USAF planes are supposed to be filling up at US bases exclusively, then why did the Obama administration sign that deal? Should we now tear up that deal because Trump is the president? Trump is merely taking advantage of an arrangement that was put in place before he was before he was President. Sounds like good ole American capitalism to me. Same applies to his hotel in D.C. Should it be off limits to anyone that does business with the government?
2
@Bean - Yes, "good old American capitalism," where the President literally profits from the Air Force. When has that ever happened in our lifetimes? How and why is it acceptable to you to have a president who A) has not divested himself of his holdings so as not to profit from the office (as EVERY other president - Democrat and Republican - has done) and B) refuses to release his tax returns (the first to do so in 50 years)? Don't we have a right to know whether our president is a crook? Don't we have a right to a president who is not lining his pockets with our tax money (i.e. apart from his salary, but that's obvious)?
27
On it's own this is no big deal however, taken in the context of the myriad foreign governments, lobbyists and special interest groups spending money at his properties, it's simply a piece of a much larger, ugly picture.
This president's refusal to put his holdings into a blind trust, as every president before him makes me believe that it should be a law and not a custom....along with a law requiring candidates to turn over 10 years of tax returns.
140
House Democrats passed a bill, that is laying on the floor of the Senate because Moscow Mitch won’t allow a vote on it, that requires a president to reveal her/his taxes. If We, the People, flip the Senate in 2020 we will pass this law.
132
@Mari-Yep. This provision is included in the Anti-Corruption “For the People” Bill"--one of the first pieces of legislation the House passed in Jan. 2019, now tabled with 200 other bills by McConnell.
https://www.npr.org/2019/01/05/682286587/house-democrats-introduce-anti-corruption-bill-as-symbolic-first-act
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/07/us/politics/election-security-mitch-mcconnell.html
6
@Alan Gamblethe
Congress MUST get busy on that program you've outlined
... a sorely needed program.
2