Summary:
- Pence was implicated in the Ukraine scandal that led to Trump’s impeachment. Trump was charged with abuse of power for his pressure campaign on the President of Ukraine to investigate political rivals and obstruction of congress. It was alleged that Pence was aware of and involved in the pressure campaign. Trump used Pence to deliver the quid pro quo message to Zelensky and a top Pence aid was on the phone call between Trump and Zelensky that sparked the investigation. Trump was also charged with obstruction of congress for instructing his administration to defy congressional inquiry. Pence blocked requests from congressional investigators to release documents and testimony from his office.
- While on an official visit in Europe, Pence took a 150 mile detour to stay at Trump Doonbeg. The trip added to taxpayer cost as Pence had to add extra flights between the resort and his meetings in Dublin and it directed taxpayer dollars directly to Trump’s private business. The trip was widely panned and led to a congressional investigation.
- Trump frequented Trump's properties, directing hundreds of thousands of dollars their way.
¶ Pence Was Implicated In The Ukraine Scandal That Led To Trump’s Impeachment
¶ Trump Was Impeached For Abusing POwer Of Office To Pressure The President Of Ukraine Into Investigating His Political Rivals
Trump Was Impeached For Abuse Of Power And Obstruction Of Congress After Pressuring The President Of Ukraine To Investigate Political Rivals And Threatening To Withhold $400 Million In Military Aid. According to The New York Times, “The House of Representatives on Wednesday impeached President Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, making him the third president in history to be charged with committing high crimes and misdemeanors and face removal by the Senate. […] Instead, the existential threat to Mr. Trump’s presidency centered around a half-hour phone call in July. On it, he pressured Ukraine’s president to announce investigations into former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and other Democrats at the same time he was withholding nearly $400 million in vital military assistance for the country and a White House meeting.” [New York Times, 12/18/19]
¶ Abuse Of Power Charge Centered Around July 2019 Phone Call Between Trump And President Zelensky
Impeachment Inquiry Was Sparked By Whistleblower Complaint About A Phone Call Between Trump And Zelensky Where Trump Allegedly Pressured The Ukrainian President TO Investigate Biden And The DNC. According to The New York Times, “Instead, the existential threat to Mr. Trump’s presidency centered around a half-hour phone call in July. On it, he pressured Ukraine’s president to announce investigations into former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and other Democrats at the same time he was withholding nearly $400 million in vital military assistance for the country and a White House meeting. Congress learned about the call after an anonymous C.I.A. official lodged a whistle-blower complaint in August — pulling a string that helped unravel an effort by the president and his allies to pressure a foreign government for help in smearing a political rival. Over a period of weeks this fall, a parade of diplomats and other administration officials confirmed and expanded on those revelations.” [New York Times, 12/18/19]
¶ Obstruction Of Congress Charge Was Fueled By Trump And His Administration Defying Congressional Inquiry
Trump Ordered Administration Officials To Defy Congressional Inquiry Leading To The Second Article Of Impeachment: Obstruction Of Congress. According to The New York Times, “Over a period of weeks this fall, a parade of diplomats and other administration officials confirmed and expanded on those revelations. When Congress sought to investigate, the president ordered his administration to defy its every request, leading to what the House said Wednesday was a violation of the separation of powers and a de facto assertion by Mr. Trump that he was above the law. […] Fueling the obstruction of Congress charge, a dozen more witnesses, some with direct knowledge of Mr. Trump’s actions, were blocked from speaking to investigators, and the Trump administration refused to produce a single document under subpoena.” [New York Times, 12/18/19]
¶ Pence And His Staff Were Involved In Trump’s Pressure Campaign Against PRESIDENT Zelensky
¶ Trump Instructed Pence To Tell Zelensky U.S. Ais Would Be Withheld Until The Country Took Action Against “Corruption”
President Trump Used Pence To Deliver Message That U.S. Aid Would Be Withheld Until Ukraine Addressed “Corruption”. According to the Washington Post, “Months later, the president used Pence to tell Zelensky that U.S. aid was still being withheld while demanding more aggressive action on corruption, officials said. At that time — following Trump’s July 25 phone call with Zelenksy — the Ukrainians probably understood action on corruption to include the investigation of former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.” [Washington Post, 10/2/19]
- Based On The Timeline, It Was Likely Ukrainian Officials Understood “Corruption” To Include An Investigation Into The Bidens. According to the Washington Post, “Months later, the president used Pence to tell Zelensky that U.S. aid was still being withheld while demanding more aggressive action on corruption, officials said. At that time — following Trump’s July 25 phone call with Zelenksy — the Ukrainians probably understood action on corruption to include the investigation of former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.” [Washington Post, 10/2/19]
¶ A Top Pence Aid, Jennifer Williams, Was On The Call Between Trump And Zelensky
One Of Pence’s Top Aides Was On The Infamous Phone Call Between Trump And Zelensky And Pence Would Have Had Access To The Transcript. According to the Washington Post, “Perhaps most significantly, one of Pence’s top advisers was on the July 25 call and the vice president should have had access to the transcript within hours, officials said.” [Washington Post, 10/2/19]
¶ Sondland’s Testimony Implicated Pence In Ukraine Scandal
Gordon Sondland Testified To House Committee That Pence Was Made Aware Of The Pressure Campaign To Force Ukraine To Investigate Biden. According to The Washington Post, “A U.S. ambassador on Wednesday explicitly linked President Trump, Vice President Pence and other senior officials to what he came to believe was a campaign to pressure a foreign government to investigate Trump’s political rival in exchange for a coveted White House meeting and hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid. […] Sondland acknowledged that he and others were the ones pushing Ukrainians to announce investigations, but asserted they had merely “followed the president’s orders,” communicated through Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani. Sondland testified that top-level officials — including Pence, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — were made aware at various points of what was happening, and he provided emails to back up his assertions.” [Washington Post, 11/20/19]
¶ Giuliani Associate Lev Parnas: Pence And Other Top Officials Were Aware Of What Trump Was Doing With Ukraine
Parnas Alleged Pence And Other Top Administration Officials Were Aware Of What Trump Was Doing With Ukraine. According to Politico, “Lev Parnas, the Rudy Giuliani associate caught in the middle of President Donald Trump’s impeachment, said on Wednesday that the president was fully aware of his actions in Ukraine, and leveled a string of potentially damaging accusations against the president’s closest allies, including Vice President Mike Pence, Attorney General William Barr and the House Intelligence Committee’s top Republican, Rep. Devin Nunes […] Parnas added that Pence, Barr and former national security adviser John Bolton were all aware of or involved in parts of the” [Politico, 1/15/20]
¶ Pence Denied All Allegations That He Was Involved In The Scandal And Said Trump “Did Nothing Wrong”
Pence Claimed He Was Unaware Of Trump’s Efforts To Get Damaging Information About Biden From Zelensky. According to The Washington Post, “Officials close to Pence insist that he was unaware of Trump’s efforts to press Zelensky for damaging information about Biden and his son, who had served on the board of an obscure Ukrainian gas company, when his father was overseeing U.S. policy on Ukraine.” [Washington Post, 10/2/19]
Pence Called Lev Parnas’ Accusations As ‘Completely False’ And Denied Knowing Him. According to the Hill, “Vice President Pence on Thursday denied knowing Lev Parnas, describing as ‘completely false’ the Rudy Giuliani associate’s allegations about his knowledge of a scheme at the center of the impeachment proceedings against President Trump. ‘I don’t know the guy,’ Pence told reporters in Tampa, Fla., when asked about Parnas. Pence, who is on a swing through Florida for Trump campaign events, said Parnas’s allegation that he was aware of efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter was ‘completely false.’” [Hill, 1/16/20]
Pence: The President’s Call With Zelensky Was Focused On Issues That Were Important To Our Country And That “The President Did Nothing Wrong.” According to ABC News, “The vice president sat down for an interview with ABC News aboard his campaign bus en route to Battle Creek, Michigan, ahead of President Trump’s campaign rally on Wednesday night. Despite his staunch defense of the president amid the looming threat of impeachment, when pressed repeatedly about Trump’s July phone call with Zelenskiy that sits at the heart of the impeachment investigation, the vice president deflected about whether he would characterize the call as ‘perfect,’ which was the word used by Trump to describe the conversation. ‘I think the president in the call was focusing on issues that mattered to our country. He spoke to President Zelenskiy about issues that were a concern to us,’ Pence said. When asked again about if he would describe the call as ‘perfect,’ he refused to say so, only asserting, ‘I think the president did nothing wrong.’ Pence went on to argue that what Trump ‘did here was simply raise issues that were important to the United States.’” [ABC News,12/18/19]
¶ Pence Complied With Trump’s Instructions TO Obstruct Congressional Inquiry Into Him And His Staff During The Ukraine Investigation
¶ Pence Rejected Calls To Declassify Testimony From His Staffer Jennifer Williams Regarding September Phone Call Between Pence And Zelensky
Vice President Pence Rejected Call To Declassify New Testimony From His National Security Aide Jennifer Williams Regarding His September 18th Call Ukraine’s President. According to Politico, “Vice President Mike Pence’s counsel rejected House Democrats’ request to declassify details of a Sept. 18 call between Pence and Ukraine’s president, calling the request illegitimate because the impeachment inquiry has concluded. In a letter to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Pence’s lawyer, Matthew Morgan, said it ‘serves no purpose’ to declassify supplemental testimony from one of Pence’s national security aides, as Schiff had demanded. ‘At this point, the Intelligence Committee’s oversight authority is limited to those areas in which it may potentially legislate or appropriate,’ Morgan wrote to Schiff, who pressed Pence last week to declassify supplemental testimony from one of the vice president’s national security aides, Jennifer Williams. The additional testimony, Schiff said, centers on Pence’s Sept. 18 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.” [Politico, 12/11/19]
¶ Schiff Said Pence Was “Purposefully Misleading” Congress About His Call With Ukraine
Democrats Suggested Mike Pence May Be “Purposefully Misleading” Congress About His Call With Ukraine. According to the USA Today, “Vice President Mike Pence may be "purposefully misleading" Congress about a September conversation between Pence and Ukraine's president, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee told Pence Tuesday. In a letter to Pence, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., renewed the committee's request for the vice president to declassify information about the conversation that has been provided to the panel by Jennifer Williams, a foreign policy adviser to Pence. Pence's office previously refused the request in a Dec. 11 letter, saying it would serve no purpose. But Schiff wrote that if Williams' description of the Sept. 18 call between Pence and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is accurate, it ‘raises profound questions about your knowledge of the President's scheme to solicit Ukraine's interference in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.’ ‘And it would mean that the representation of your communications with President Zelensky, as described in your office's December 11 letter, may be purposefully misleading,’ Schiff wrote.” [USA Today, 12/17/19]
¶ Misused Taxpayer Money To Stay At Trump Doonbeg, A 150 Mile Detour
¶ September 2019: Mike Pence Took A 150 Mile Detour TO Stay At Trump Doonbeg During Official Business In Europe
¶ Hurricane Dorian Forced Pence To Reshuffle European Trip At The Last Minute And Included A Stay At Doonbeg Remained Part Of Itinerary
Hurricane Dorian Forced Donald Trump To Cancel Plans To Travel To Poland So Pence’s Europe Visit Was Moved Up Several Days To Add Visit To Poland. According to RTE News, “It was announced last night that Mr Pence would travel to Poland this weekend in place of US President Donald Trump. Mr Trump cancelled his trip so he could stay in the US to monitor Hurricane Dorian which is threatening to hit Florida in the coming days. Because US Vice President Mike Pence will now be in Europe earlier than expected, plans are being made for his arrival in Shannon Airport on Monday evening.” [RTE News, 8/30/19]
Officials Were Forced To “Frantically Make[] Last Minute Preparations” For Pence’s Ireland Visit Because Of Schedule Change. According to Irish Daily Mail, “OFFICIALS are frantically making last-minute preparations for US vice president Mike Pence’s visit to Ireland after it was brought forward to Monday. America’s second-most powerful politician had been due to arrive in Ireland next Friday, but he now has to travel to Poland on behalf of US president Donald Trump this weekend, so his Irish visit has been brought forward.” [Irish Daily Mail, 8/31/19]
¶ Mike And Karen Pence Went To Doonbeg Following Meeting With Irish Minister Of Foreign Affairs
September 2, 2019: Mike And Karen Pence Landed In Ireland And Went To Trump Doonbeg After A Private Meeting With Minister For Foreign Affairs. According to irishmirror.ie, “Mike Pence touched down in Shannon Airport tonight ahead of his meetings with the Taoiseach and President Michael D Higgins tomorrow afternoon. The US Vice President was formally greeted on the tarmac at Shannon by Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, before the two senior statesmen held a private meeting. After this, Mr and Mrs Pence were whisked away by a US Secret Service cavalcade to Trump International Doonbeg, Donald Trump’s golf resort inClare.” [irishmirror.ie, 9/2/19]
¶ Mike Pence Defended Stay At Doonbeg Saying The 180 Mile Detour Was The “Logical” Place To Stay
Mike Pence Said Staying At Trump Doonbeg Was “Logical” Place To Stay. According to MailOnline, “Mike Pence on Tuesday defended his stay at Donald Trump’s golf club in Doonbeg, Ireland, saying he cleared it with the State Department, and it was the ‘logical’ place for him to reside during his two-day visit. The vice president came under attack for spending Monday and Tuesday evenings at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Doonbeg Ireland at the president's 'suggestion' while Pence was in the country on official White House business.'I understand political attacks by Democrats, but if you have a chance to get to Doonbeg, you'll find it's a fairly small place and the opportunity to stay at the Trump National in Doonbeg, to accommodate the unique footprint that comes with our security detail and other personnel, made it logical,' Pence told reporters in Dublin.” [MailOnline, 9/3/19]
- Doonbeg Was 180 Miles Away From Pence’s Official Meetings In Dublin Forcing Him To Commute An Hour By Plane. According to MailOnline, “In fact it was hardly in the area for his meetings, which were in Dublin, 180 miles away. The vice president commuted via plane, flying from the Shannon Airport to Dublin for official meetings and back again to crash at Trump’s golf club. It’s about a 60-minute fight.” [MailOnline, 9/3/19]
¶ Marc Short Provided Multiple Justifications For Pence’s Stay
¶ Short Claimed Doonbeg Was Only Local Hotel That Could Accommodate Last Minute Travel And Advance Work Had Already Been Completed
Marc Short Claimed Doonbeg Was The Only Local Hotel That Could Accommodate Pence’s Last Minute Travel Plans. According to MailOnline, “Pence’s chief of staff Marc Short told reporters Tuesday that Trump International Doonbeg was the only local hotel that could accommodate the vice president on short notice, and the decision to stay at the Trump-owned property was not made on the president’s orders.” [MailOnline, 9/3/19]
Marc Short Noted Secret Service Had Already Done Advance Work For The Resort. According to MailOnline, “‘Our originally planned trip, which was Wednesday, Iceland; Thursday, UK; Friday, Ireland. And then we’d finish in Doonbeg, because that’s where the Pence family is from,’ Short told reporters. ‘That was the originally planned trip. These trips require weeks of advance and Secret Service protection, so that’s where we were staying on the Friday night of our trip. When the hurricane arose and the president asked the vice president to go to Poland in his stead, our logistical challenge was how do we make that all work? So rather than try to switch Ireland, Iceland, and UK, we took the Ireland component that was at the back end of the trip and moved it to the front, because it had already been secured by Secret Service. They had done all the advance work,’ Short explained.” [MailOnline, 9/3/19]
¶ Short Pointed To Pence’s Family Connection To The Area
Marc Short Defended The Itinerary Emphasizing Pence’s Family Connection To. According to MailOnline, “‘Our originally planned trip, which was Wednesday, Iceland; Thursday, UK; Friday, Ireland. And then we’d finish in Doonbeg, because that’s where the Pence family is from,’ Short told reporters. ‘That was the originally planned trip. These trips require weeks of advance and Secret Service protection, so that’s where we were staying on the Friday night of our trip. When the hurricane arose and the president asked the vice president to go to Poland in his stead, our logistical challenge was how do we make that all work? So rather than try to switch Ireland, Iceland, and UK, we took the Ireland component that was at the back end of the trip and moved it to the front, because it had already been secured by Secret Service. They had done all the advance work,’ Short explained.” [MailOnline, 9/3/19]
¶ Short Said Trump Suggested Pence Stay At Doonbeg
Marc Short Acknowledged Trump Suggested Pence Stay At Doonbeg But Did Not Demand It. According to MailOnline, “Marc Short acknowledged that Trump was involved in the conversation for the vice president to stay at Trump International Doonbeg and told Pence: ‘Well, you should stay at my place.’ But Short claimed: ‘It wasn’t like a, ‘You must.’ It wasn’t like, ‘You have to.’ It’s a facility that could accommodate the team.’” [MailOnline, 9/3/19]
¶ Pence Contradicted Chief Of Staff, Said President Did Not Direct Him To Stay At Doonbeg
Mike Pence: “At No Time Did The President Direct Our Office To Stay At His Doonbeg Resort And Any Reporting To The Contrary Is False.” According to MailOnline, “Mike Pence said late Tuesday it was his office’s decision for the vice president and his family to stay at Donald Trump’s Doonbeg resort and the president didn’t ‘direct’ them to overnight at his Irish golf club. The clarification from vice president’s office came after Pence’s chief of staff said Trump ‘suggested’ his resort, leading to questions about the appropriateness of using the president’s personal property for an official visit. ‘Because of some misreporting, we want to clarify that the decision to stay at Trump National in Doonbeg, Ireland was solely a decision by the Office of the Vice President and was based on the requirement to find accommodations near the Vice President’s ancestral hometown that could satisfy meetings on both coasts of the Emerald Isle,’ Pence’s office said in a statement. ‘At no time did the President direct our office to stay at his Doonbeg resort and any reporting to the contrary is is false,' the statement continued." [MailOnline, 9/14/19]
¶ Trump “Furious” At Short For Saying He Suggested Pence Stay At His Hotel, Refuted Reports And Said Pence Picked It Because It Was A Good Product
Trump Was “Furious” Marc Short Told Reporters He Suggested Pence Stay At His Hotel. According to Mediaite, “This afternoon, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reported that people ‘knew this wasn’t a good idea’ and that Trump wasn’t happy about Short’s comments: ‘I’m told that the president was furious after he learned that Marc Short said that he had suggested it. Essentially putting the credit for the president on why they picked that location to stay in this tiny town The president was so furious about it that that third statement that Pam was talking about there came out abotu 3:30 in the morning in Ireland.’ You can watch above, via CNN. Have a tip we should know?” [Mediaite, 9/4/19]
Trump Said He Was Aware Pence Was Going To Doonbeg But He Didn’t Suggest It. According to MailOnline, “However, the president told reporters on Wednesday, ‘I had no involvement, other than it’s a great place.’ He said he was aware that Pence was going to be in the Doonbeg area, because he has extended family in the area, ‘But it wasn’t my idea for Mike to go there.’ ‘I don’t suggest it. I don’t suggest anything,’ he told a reporter who asked if he suggested Doonbeg to Pence.” [MailOnline, 9/4/19]
Trump: “People Like My Product, What Can I Tell You.” According to MailOnline, “The president offered that he had not advised Attorney General William Barr to spend $30,000 renting out the Trump-owned Washington, D.C. hotel for the Department of Justice’s holiday party. ‘To this day I haven’t spoken to him about it,’ he said. ‘People like my product, what can I tell you.’” [MailOnline, 9/4/19]
Donald Trump Tweeted He “Had Nothing To Do With The Decision” Of Pence To Stay At Trump Doonbeg. According to tweet, “I had nothing to do with the decision of our great @VPMike Pence to stay overnight at one of the Trump owned resorts in Doonbeg, Ireland. Mike’s family has lived in Doonbeg for many years, and he thought that during his very busy European visit, he would stop and see his family!” [Twitter.com, @realDonaldTrump, 9/9/19]
¶
¶ Marc Short Rebuked Claims Pence Used Taxpayer Money To Benefit Trump
In Letter To House Oversight And Reform Committee Chair Elijah Cummings, Marc Short Rebuked Claims That Pence’s Ireland Trump Served To Benefit Trump Or The Trump Organization. According to Breitbart, “In a letter obtained by Breitbart News, Short replied to Chairman Cummings, rebuking the notion that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) unfairly spent taxpayer dollars during his stay at the Trump hotel in Doonbeg […] Pence’s chief of staff also noted that the Department of State ‘conveyed to OVP in August (prior to the trip) that the general room rates offered by Trump International Doonbeg were competitive and even less expensive than those offered by the Radisson in Limerick, Ireland.’ Short noted that any use of taxpayer dollars during the visit in Ireland ‘was in furtherance of strengthening diplomatic ties between the two countries.’” [Breitbart, 9/19/19]
¶ Pence’s Ireland Visit Cost Nearly $600,000 In Transportation, It Is Unknown How Much Was Paid Directly To Doonbeg For Lodging And Security
¶ Trump Did Not Comp Rooms For Pence Family
Marc Short Said Trump Did Not Offer To Comp The Cost Of Hotel Rooms At Doonbeg. According to CNN CNN Tonight 10:00 PM EST, “Well, tonight according to Maggie Haberman of the ‘New York Times,’ his office just put out a new statement contradicting Marc Short and saying it was solely the decision of the vice president and the president did not direct him to stay there. Short also told reporters that President Trump did not offer to comp the costs of the stay in Doonbeg. I wonder why.” [CNN CNN Tonight 10:00 PM EST, 9/3/19]
¶ Pence Costs Paid By Taxpayers, Mother And Sister Costs Paid Out Of Pocket Reportedly
Pence’s Lodging Were Paid For With U.S. Taxpayer Dollars, His Mother And Sister’s Cost Were Paid For By Pence Out Of Pocket. According to MailOnline, “Taxpayers are picking up the tab for the costs of Pence’s lodging and Secret Service protection, just as they would if he were not staying at any other property while he’s outside of Washington, Short told reporters Tuesday as the vice president flew to Dublin. Pence is funding his mother and sister’s travel, the senior aide said.” [MailOnline, 9/3/19]
¶ Additional Flights To Dublin From Doonbeg Cost At Least $26,000
Pence’s Flights Between Doonbeg And Dublin For Meetings Cost $13,000 An Hour. According to MailOnline, “The vice president commuted via plane, flying from the Shannon Airport to Dublin for official meetings and back again to crash at Trump’s golf club. It’s about a 60 minute fight. The Air Force puts the flight-cost of a C-32, the modified Boeing 757 jet known as Air Force Two when Pence is on board, at about $13,000 per hour.” [MailOnline, 9/3/19]
- Doonbeg Was 180 Miles Away From Pence’s Official Meetings In Dublin Forcing Him To Commute An Hour By Plane. According to MailOnline, “In fact it was hardly in the area for his meetings, which were in Dublin, 180 miles away. The vice president commuted via plane, flying from the Shannon Airport to Dublin for official meetings and back again to crash at Trump’s golf club. It’s about a 60-minute fight.” [MailOnline, 9/3/19]
¶ Pence Ground Transportation Bill Was $599,000 Compared To $114,00 For Obama’s 2013 Visit To Ireland
Ground Transportation For Pence’s Ireland Visit Totaled $599,000. According to NBCNEWS.com, “The receipts totaled more than $599,000 in conjunction with the vice president’s stay, which required him to travel back-and-forth between Doonbeg and Dublin, where his official meetings were set to take place. During then-President Barack Obama’s three-day visit to Ireland in 2013, the State Department spent just $114,000 on ground transit, paying the same limousine company. The government paid the same company nearly $1 million for Trump’s ground transportation during a June visit to the property.” [NBCNEWS.com, 9/11/19]
Ground Transportation Expenses Obama’s 3 Day Visit To Ireland In 2013 Totaled $114,000. According to NBCNEWS.com, “The receipts totaled more than $599,000 in conjunction with the vice president’s stay, which required him to travel back-and-forth between Doonbeg and Dublin, where his official meetings were set to take place. During then-President Barack Obama’s three-day visit to Ireland in 2013, the State Department spent just $114,000 on ground transit, paying the same limousine company. The government paid the same company nearly $1 million for Trump’s ground transportation during a June visit to the property.” [NBCNEWS.com, 9/11/19]
¶ Irish Police Force Spent At Least $4,000 At Doonbeg During Security Detail For Pence
Irish Police Spent $4,000 At Trump Doonbeg While On Security Detail For Pence. According to Politico, "The House launched an investigation last year, demanding the administration and Trump’s company release details about Vice President Mike Pence’s 2019 stay at a Trump resort in Ireland that came at the president’s suggestion. While they refused, new records obtained by POLITICO show the Irish police spent at least $4,000 at Trump Doonbeg while covering Pence’s visit — on top of $145,000 for other visits." [Politico, 1/20/20]
¶ Commentators, Democratic Congresspeople Strongly Condemned Pence’s Stay At Doonbeg And The Systematic Abuse Of Taxpayer Dollars Spent At Trump Properties
Elie Honig: Pence’s Inconvenient Stay At Doonbeg During Official Visit To Dublin Akin To Mafia Model Of “Kicking Up” To The Boss. According to Elie Honig Op-Ed CNN.com, “The ‘kicking up’ model works well for the mafia, and now a political version of it seems to be catching on within the Trump administration. Vice President Mike Pence has decided to stay at Trump’s golf resort in Doonbeg, Ireland, during an official visit to Dublin (over a one-hour flight away, so not particularly close or convenient). On Tuesday, Pence’s chief of staff remarked that the decision was made on Trump’s suggestion. The Vice President’s office later stated, ‘at no time did the President direct our office to stay at his Doonbeg resort.’” [Elie Honig - CNN.com, 9/2/19]
Congressman Ted Lieu And The DNC Tweeted Criticisms Of Pence Spending Taxpayer Money At Trump Doonbeg. According to Channel NewsAsia, “California Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu has accused Mr Pence on Twitter of ‘funnelling taxpayer money’ to Mr Trump by staying at the hotel. ‘You took an oath to the Constitution, not to Donald Trump,’ Mr Lieu said. The Democratic National Committee tweeted that Mr Pence’s choice of hotel meant ‘your tax dollars: making the Trump family richer’.” [Channel NewsAsia, 9/3/19]
Senator Warren Wrote To Pompeo And State Department Raising Concerns About Government Spending At Trump Properties Following Revelations Of Pence’s Stay In Ireland. According to Congressional Documents and Publications, “Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) yesterday sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raising a series of questions about Vice President Mike Pence’s recent stay at President Trump’s Trump International Golf Links and Hotel Doonbeg while in Ireland on official government business. Earlier this week, reports emerged that Vice President Pence and his staff patronized President Donald Trump’s Hotel in Doonbeg, Ireland, traveling over 140 miles each day to Dublin (on the other side of the country) for official meetings, at the ‘suggestion’ of the President. ‘This transaction -- another example of what appears to be open corruption in this administration -- deepens my concerns about the ongoing ethics issues related to the President’s continued financial relationship with the Trump Organization and the abuse of taxpayer funds to enrich the President and his family through their business interests,’ Senator Warren wrote. ‘This is only the latest instance in which government officials, private companies or special interest groups have patronized the President’s hotels -- enriching the President and his family -- in numerous cases, with taxpayer funds ... These expenditure are deeply troubling because President Trump has refused to fully divest from his interests in the Trump Organization,’ Senator Warren wrote.” [Congressional Documents and Publications, 9/5/19]
Rep. Cummings: “US Taxpayer Funds Should Not Be Used To Personally Enrich President Trump, His Family, And His Companies.” According to RTE News, “‘The Committee does not believe that US taxpayer funds should be used to personally enrich President Trump, his family, and his companies,’ Congressman Cummings wrote. According to letter: ‘The White House has not made public how much the Vice President’s trip cost the American taxpayer, or benefited the Trump Organisation, but based on previous investigations by the Government Accountability Office, the bill could be significant.’” [RTE News, 9/6/19]
Pelosi: Pence Joined “Cesspool Of Corruption” By Staying At Trump Doonbeg. According to USA TODAY, “- In a statement released Wednesday after controversy over Vice President Mike Pence’s stay at a Trump property in Doonbeg, Ireland, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called President Donald Trump’s properties a ‘cesspool of corruption’ and accused Trump of ‘prioritizing his profits over the interests of the American people.’ The statement said, ‘Pence is just the latest Republican elected official to enable President Trump’s violations of the Constitution.’ Pence stayed at the Trump International Golf Links and Hotel in Doonbegover the weekend.” [USA TODAY, 9/6/19]
¶ McCarthy Defended Stay Emphasizing Trump Hotels Are Simply “Competing In Private Enterprise”
Rep. McCarthy: “Is It Different If I Go And Stay Or Eat At A Marriott Here, Or Eat At The Trump? The President Isn’t Asking Me To. He’s Competing In A Private Enterprise.” According to CNN, “Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the top Republican in the House, brushed off concerns about government spending at President Donald Trump’s businesses on Tuesday, saying Trump’s hotels are ‘just like any other hotel.’ His comments come as House Democrats move to expand their impeachment investigation to focus on Trump’s business dealings and questions of corruption. ‘The President’s resorts are hotels that he owns. People are traveling, it’s just like any other hotel,’ McCarthy said at a Capitol Hill news conference Tuesday morning. ‘I don’t know that that’s different than anything else. Is it different if I go and stay or eat at a Marriott here, or eat at the Trump? The President isn’t asking me to. He’s competing in a private enterprise.’” [CNN, 10/19/19]
¶ Pence’s Stay At Doonbeg Included In Emoluments And Impeachment Investigation
House Oversight And Judicial Committees Requested Information Regarding Pence’s Doonbeg Stay To Investigate Potential Emoluments Violations. According to RTE News, “The US House Oversight Committee and the US House Judiciary Committee have sent a series of letters requesting information on what they described as ‘multiple efforts by the President, Vice President, and other Trump Administration officials to spend taxpayer funds at properties owned by the President in potential violation of the constitution’s emoluments clauses’.” [RTE News, 9/6/19]
Cummings Requested The White House Make Public How Much Pence’s Trip Cost Taxpayers. According to RTE News, “‘The Committee does not believe that US taxpayer funds should be used to personally enrich President Trump, his family, and his companies,’ Congressman Cummings wrote. According to letter: ‘The White House has not made public how much the Vice President’s trip cost the American taxpayer, or benefited the Trump Organisation, but based on previous investigations by the Government Accountability Office, the bill could be significant.’” [RTE News, 9/6/19]
House Impeachment Probe Expanded To Include Trump Profiting Off Government Spending At His Properties, Highlighted By Pence’s Doonbeg Stay. According to Associated Press Financial Wire, “The committee’s impeachment vote, which was first reported by Politico, will come as the panel has signaled it will broaden its impeachment probe beyond Mueller’s report. The Judiciary panel and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced Friday that they are demanding information about the spending of taxpayer money at the president’s hotels and properties, partly to inform the impeachment investigation. The committees said there have been ‘multiple efforts’ by Trump and administration officials to spend federal money at his properties, including Vice President Mike Pence’s stay this week at a Trump resort in Doonbeg, Ireland.” [Associated Press Financial Wire, 9/7/19]
¶ Pence Frequented Trump Properties And Directed A Quarter Million Of Campaign Dollars To The President’s Private Businesses
¶ Pence Frequented Trump Properties
Pence Has Visited Trump Properties At Least 33 Times Since Trump Was Elected. [CREW, accessed 9/11/20]
¶ Pence Took A 180 Mile Detour To Stay Two Nights At Trump Doonbeg While On Official Business In Europe
According to CNN, “When Vice President Mike Pence woke up Tuesday in the west of Ireland, he had a long commute ahead of him: the span of the entire island to Dublin, where he was meeting with government officials. The reason for the journey: Pence was staying at the golf property owned by his boss, President Donald Trump, in Doonbeg. That's 181 miles — or an hour's drive plus a 40-minute flight — away from the government buildings where Pence will conduct his official visit on Tuesday. […] But the decision to spend two nights at the President's own hotel is nevertheless drawing outcry from ethics groups and Democrats, who have already questioned government expenditures at Trump's various properties during his presidency.” [CNN, 9/3/19]
¶ Pence Even Headlined A Gala Put On By A Private Christian Non-Profit At Trump Hotel
Pence Spoke At Gala Put On By Concerned Women For America, A Christian Non-Profit, At Trump Hotel D.C. According to The Washington Post, “The planned speeches suggest that Trump and his Cabinet are not shying away from events that drive revenue to the president’s company, even after multiple stories have brought new scrutiny to the blurring of lines between Trump’s business and presidency. Pence spoke Thursday night at the hotel, during a gala put on by the Concerned Women for America, a 40-year-old conservative nonprofit organization that says it promotes “Biblical values and Constitutional principles.” Tickets to that event cost at least $99, according to the group’s website.” [Washington Post, 9/12/19]
¶ Pence Spent Nearly $250,000 At Trump Properties
Pence And His PAC Great America Committee Have Spent $237,967.91 At Trump Properties Since 2015. [FEC.gov, accessed 9/11/20]
- 2017: Pence Launched “Great America Committee” To Raise Money For Himself And Other Republican Candidates. According to Time, “Vice President Mike Pence is creating his own PAC called the "Great America Committee" that can support candidates, including himself, in the 2018 or 2020 elections. The committee filed paperwork with the FEC on Wednesday, marking the first time that a sitting Vice President has launched his own PAC. Pence will use funds from the committee to, among other things, pay Air Force Two costs as he travels to campaign for Republicans or himself, NBC reports.” [Time, 5/18/17]