Eric Trumps trip to Uruguay cost taxpayers $97,830 in hotel bills

[octoberlib]

By Amy Brittain and Drew Harwell February 3 at 4:12 PM



When the president-elect’s son, Eric Trump, jetted to Uruguay in early January for a Trump Organization promotional trip, U.S. taxpayers were left footing a bill of nearly $100,000 in hotel rooms for Secret Service and embassy staff.

It was a high-profile jaunt out of the country for Eric, the fresh-faced executive of the Trump Organization who, like his father, pledged to keep the company separate from the presidency. Eric mingled with real estate brokers, dined at an open-air beachfront eatery and spoke to hundreds at an “ultra exclusive” Trump Tower Punta del Este evening party celebrating his visit.

The Uruguayan trip shows how the government is unavoidably entangled with the Trump company as a result of the president’s refusal to divest his ownership stake. In this case, government agencies are forced to pay to support business operations that ultimately help to enrich the president himself. Though the Trumps have pledged a division of business and government, they will nevertheless depend on the publicly funded protection granted to the first family as they travel the globe promoting their brand.

The bill for the Secret Service’s hotel rooms in Uruguay totaled $88,320. The U.S. Embassy in Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay, paid an additional $9,510 for its staff to stay in hotel rooms to “support” the Secret Service detail for the “VIP visit,” according to purchasing orders reviewed by The Washington Post.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/eric-trumps-trip-to-uruguay-cost-taxpayers-97830-in-hotel-bills/2017/02/03/ababd64e-e95c-11e6-bf6f-301b6b443624_story.html?utm_term=.d3d4762e335a

[Achilleaze]

1. WTF? And Republicans call themselves "conservatives"

what utter bullshit. The so-called 'billionaire' Trump Cabal should pay back the American taxpayers, and repudiate their godforsaken "Republican Family Values" before they do any more harm.

[gratuitous]

2. Sounds like Congress should investigate this

Republicans are supposed to be all fiscally conservative and stuff. They even had an investigation into whether the White House had squandered taxpayer money on Socks the Cat's Christmas cards (it hadn't) back during the Clinton administration.

Here's nearly a hundred large being spent out of the public treasury for no discernible benefit to the public. Where's Jason Chaffetz?

[SammyWinstonJack]

3. Why Eric trump have secret service protection?

[C_U_L8R]

4. Bring him before Congress (if we can)

and make him explain his bill, item by item.

[logosoco]

5. This is another story that needs to be going viral.

So, the son of tRump just HAD to go there and now we just have to pay for the SS and they just happened to stay at a tRump hotel so the tRump family gets the profit. And the trip was not to benefit the American people, only the tRump organization!
How fucking convenient.
I would love to see tRump supporters defend this.

[CousinIT]

6. . . .

The Uruguayan trip shows how the government is unavoidably entangled with the Trump company as a result of the president’s refusal to divest his ownership stake. In this case, government agencies are forced to pay to support business operations that ultimately help to enrich the president himself.

[spanone]

7. lock the little fucker up!

[mfcorey1]

8. I thought coverage for children expired after age eighteen.

[califootman]

12. Does anyone remember if...

Reagan's or Bush 41's adult kids had Secret Service protection when they were in office?

[octoberlib]

13. I googled it . All members of his family are entitled to SS protection while he's in office.

That's a lot of taxpayer dollars.

[oasis]

9. This particular "waste and fraud " is okay. nt

[smirkymonkey]

10. This is an outrage!

Why are we paying for Moron, Jr's trips abroad to promote the Trump Organization? WTF? Can't anybody stop this bullshit?

[sunonmars]

11. so thats nearly 100K into the Trumps own business, this is basically ripping off the US taxpayer.

This has to stop.

[Initech]

14. And they accused Obama of spending $3 million to go to Hawaii. God damn them!