Air Force leaders order probe of Trump resort stays

[kpete]

BREAKING: The US Air Force has ordered a sweeping review of its use of Trump resorts for overnight crew accommodations. It comes as POLITICO uncovers yet another overnight stay at Turnberry by at least a dozen USAF crew members in September 2018.

Link to tweet

Air Force leaders order probe of Trump resort stays
Stopovers at Scotland airport have tripled since 2015 and overnight stays in the area are up five-fold.

By BRYAN BENDER and NATASHA BERTRAND 09/08/2019 09:44 PM EDT Updated 09/08/2019 09:57 PM EDT

The U.S. Air Force has ordered a world-wide review of how it chooses overnight accommodations on long flights following revelations that air crews had occasionally stayed at President Donald Trump's Scotland resort while refueling at a small commercial airport nearby.

The review comes as additional instances of military personnel staying at Trump properties have been uncovered. The C-17 crew’s overnight stay at Trump’s Turnberry resort in Scotland earlier this year, first reported by POLITICO on Friday, was not an isolated incident.


In September 2018, on its way back to the U.S. from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, a unit of the Maine Air National Guard landed at Prestwick Airport, the airport closest to Trump’s luxury waterfront resort. The crew and their passengers then spent the night at his hotel, according to one person who was present, an Instagram post and a voucher detailing the crew’s itinerary reviewed by POLITICO.

The Air Force did not immediately respond to questions about that September stay, but Air Force Brig. Gen. Ed Thomas, the chief spokesman, told POLITICO in a statement that “initial reviews indicate that aircrew transiting through Scotland adhered to all guidance and procedures."


https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/08/trump-resort-air-force-probe-1485447

Link to tweet

[real Cannabis calm]

1. K&R

[pangaia]

2. I'll believe a real "probe" when i feel it.

[Ilsa]

3. K&R. I sure as hell hope the AF leaders will

cooperate with the House committee that will investigate this.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

4. "Probe"? Riiiiiight. Taxpayers and the Constitution are the ones getting fucked.

It's a foregone conclusion this will be a whitewash, so why even bother? They're already justifying it.

[Takket]

5. there is no "air force guideline or procedure" that makes it legal to violate the Emoluments Clause

drumpf will just say "we offered the rooms at a discounted rate to our brave soldiers instead of staying at some roach model on the freeway. they deserve a nice resort, what's wrong with that?" and then the media will vilify the Democrats for asking.

[patphil]

6. When this first came out, I was pretty sure it wouldn't be an isolated incident.

[zaj]

7. This actually sounds like a fake scandal...

The contract to refuel there started under Obama. I'm not clear why this is a scandal.

[EveHammond13]

9. at Turnberry?????? At Doonbeg? At the Obama Resort and Spa??? LOL

[zaj]

11. No, it's true...

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/07/us/politics/military-stopover-trump-turnberry.html

Questions about the overnight stays at the Trump golf resort emerged after House investigators wrote to the department in June to ask about the surge in military stopovers at the obscure Glasgow Prestwick Airport, which is 23 miles from the Trump property.

Federal contract documents show that the Defense Department signed an agreement with the Prestwick airport to serve as a refueling location for military flights in August 2016, during the final months of the Obama administration. It could not be determined on Saturday if the department had contracts with the airport before then.

[SunSeeker]

13. What part of "surge" do you not understand?

And how many times did Air Force personel stay at Trump's gold encrusted golf course while refueling in Scotland under Obama? Hmmm? 0?

[zaj]

14. The problem is the ownership not the refueling there.

[SunSeeker]

17. The problem is the refueling at a commercial airport when cheaper military airports are available.

And refueling at this struggling airport in particular, since it serves Trump's out of the way golf course. The Air Force spent 11 million refueling at this airport under Trump. Why??

[zaj]

18. Because the Obama administration signed an agreement to...

... to refuel there

[SunSeeker]

20. To have a backup. They normally refueled at cheaper military bases.

And they never stayed at a gold encrusted golf course while refueling. Not before Trump began his pillaging of our government.

The Air Force NEVER USED THAT AIRPORT FOR REFUELING UNDER OBAMA:

From the same NYT you cite:

The records also show that the first payments under this contract started in early October 2017 and that a total of 917 payments for “liquid petroleum” have since been made at a total cost of $17.2 million. It is unclear how many stopovers this represents, as multiple payments were often made on the same day.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/07/us/politics/military-stopover-trump-turnberry.html

And you think this is a "fake scandal"?

[EveHammond13]

32. talking to that one is pointless I think.

[gordianot]

10. Who profits from this today?

Trump’s worries started after he became President.

[zaj]

15. Agreed, but makes a big difference that this was planned under Obama

[SunSeeker]

24. This was NOT planned under Obama.

Obama did not plan for military personnel to stay at Trump's golf course. Obama did not plan for the frequency of use of that little commercial airport near the golf course for C17 refueling. The military used military bases, where fuel is much cheaper. It seems this contract was a backup. There were certainly no plans under Obama for fivefold increase. And there is no evidence any military personnel stayed at Trump's golf course while refueling under Obama.

[zaj]

28. That isn't evident, that's speculation.

Speculation that is weakened by the AF signing the deal under Obama.

[SunSeeker]

30. THEY NEVER USED THIS AIRPORT UNDER OBAMA. That's not speculation.

They didn't start using this airport for refueling until OCTOBER 2017. That's in your NYT article.

The question is WHY? Why did they choose to start using the high priced fuel at this obscure commercial airport when military airports were available? There appears to be no legitimate reason. It appears this was just to help a strughling airport that Trump needed to stay afloat so it could continue to provide service to his out of the way golf course. If the airport closed, his golf course would die. He used taxpayer funds to keep his golf course alive.

This IS a scandal.

[zaj]

34. That's speculation...

The scandal is the ownership. We have no idea if the increase is reasonable or not. That there was an increase isn't in itself a scandal. It would be much more clearly a scandal if the contract started under Trump.

They signed the deal under Obama and the increase started after that. That could be very normal.

I don't trust Trump.
He should sell his businesses or resign.
He should be impeached for 100x reasons.

But let's recognize that this isn't necessarily what we might assume. Investigate it before declaring this what it might not be

[SunSeeker]

35. No it's not. The NYT says refueling started at Prestwick in Oct. of 2017.

The records also show that the first payments under this contract started in early October 2017 and that a total of 917 payments for “liquid petroleum” have since been made at a total cost of $17.2 million. It is unclear how many stopovers this represents, as multiple payments were often made on the same day.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/07/us/politics/military-stopover-trump-turnberry.html

It is NOT "normal" for military flights to refual at a commercial airport when cheaper military airports are available.

And there is no legimate reason for Air Force personnel to be staying at Trump's golf course while refueling. NONE. This is a scandal, and perfectly encapsulates what a grifter Trump is.

The question is whose head(s) should roll, not whether this is a scandal.

[zaj]

37. I can imagine several that you declare impossible.

Am I just more imaginative?

[SunSeeker]

39. "Imaginative" is not the word that comes to mind.

I really see no point in continuing this conversation.

[zaj]

40. Well...

Here's an imaginative guess...

They stopped to refuel and...

ran into bad weather
Or
Had a technical problem
Or
Had to wait for a fuel delivery

And the hotel was open, within budget, nice and not a policy violation.

Seems like no one but Trump is causing a problem in that case.

[SunSeeker]

12. Your post actually sounds like you get your news from Trump's twitter feed.

[zaj]

16. Nah, it's in the original NY Times article.

See my prior link.

This isn't quite what I first assumed. It's worth pointing this out.

[SunSeeker]

19. Nah, the NYT article didn't call it a fake scandal. You did.

And you implied that the frequency of use of the facility was the same under Obama as under Trump. As the OP and NYT make clear, it was not. Trump exploited what appeared to be a backup refueling contract to pour taxpayer dollars into this airport and get Air Force personnel to spend lodging money at his golf course. Both the airport and golf course were in financial trouble before the huge increase in Air Force use under Trump. That fivefold increase meant money going straight from taxpayers into Trump's pocket. That is a blatant self-dealing at taxpayer expense. Grift on steroids. But you think it's a fake scandal.

[NCLefty]

22. He said he wasn't clear. I wish we could have simply educated instead of... whatever else happened.

[sheshe2]

23. ...

No Beyoncé.

[zaj]

25. His ownership is the scandal...

He should be forced to sell his ownership or resign as President. But I don't see yet where there is any bad behavior by members of the Air Force yet.

[SunSeeker]

27. Who decided to use this airport they never used under Obama? And WHY?

Why would they choose to pay much higher prices for fuel at a commercial airport when military airports are available? And why spend the night in a high-priced country club?

[zaj]

29. I don't know, but questions are not scandal

[SunSeeker]

33. Needlessly spending $17M on overpriced fuel IS a scandal. There is no question about that.

Nor is there any question that it is scandalous that military personnel were staying at Trump's gold encrusted golf course while on government business refueling C17s.

[zaj]

36. Maybe, or maybe it was part of a plan that existed under Obama

In understand the need to distrust Trump. But we are also now assuming bad behavior by since much lower people. I'm saying it's reasonable to give them the benefit of the doubt right now.

Not every bad seeming act under Trump is going to turn out to be bad. This has the markings of a non-scandal at this point

[SunSeeker]

38. Well, if you're willing to make up shit about Obama's plans...

...if you're refusing to see overspending on fuel and military staying at Trump resorts as scandal...if you insist on giving the most corrupt resident of the oval office the "benefit of the doubt" in the face of these facts...then I don't see the point of continuing this conversation.

Bye.

[gordianot]

8. The thing about career military they will do decades of service.

Administration, commanders and the CIC will come and go. Memories are not short and there are lots of records especially for aircraft.

[myohmy2]

21. we'll see what happens...

...I'm not holding my breath...

...this government is 1% corrupt from top to bottom...

...

[StarzGuy]

26. Total B_S

Someone is lying about this and it ain't Politico. I think who ever in the air force approved the trump stay-cation needs to be interviewed. If said person lies about it then he or she needs to be court martialed. Then congress needs to add impeachment charges to the growing list of illegal acts, then impeach the S_O_B.

[Gothmog]

31. From Natasha Bertrand

Link to tweet