Donald Trump Jr.’s Indian Business Trip Cost Taxpayers Over $32,000, Per Government Records
A new review of government financial records has revealed that Donald Trump Jr.’s business trip to India from earlier this year cost American taxpayers more than $32,000, with that number being considered a modest estimate due to a large number of bills that weren’t figured into the computations.
As explained in a report from the Washington Post, the recent General Services Administration purchase order review broke down the taxpayer money supposedly spent by the government to pay for Trump Jr.’s February trip. During his trip, Trump Jr. visited several major Indian cities to help promote his family’s luxury real estate endeavors. A total of $15,166 was listed under an area described as “Don Jr. Visit to Mumbai,” while Trump Jr.’s trip to Pune involved $13,468 worth of hotel reservations and a separate bill for $3,501.
The documents also hinted at $9,880 spent in Kolkata for a “VIP visit” — though U.S. consulate officials in the Indian city refused to identify the purported VIP by name. According to the Washington Post, it’s possible that hotel reservations made up the bulk of the Kolkata tab, but the cost of these rooms and other transportation-related expenses were not broken down in the new report.
The Washington Post recalled that the India trip was quite controversial, as Indian publications advertised that interested buyers would have to pay $38,000 to reserve luxury rental units in a new Trump Towers project in the city of Gurgaon and get the chance to meet Donald Trump Jr. in return.
In a brief statement issued to the Washington Post, U.S. Secret Service spokeswoman Catherine Milhoan chose not to confirm the exact cost of Donald Trump Jr.’s trip to India, saying that it’s a “matter of practice” that her agency does not offer comment on such matters. Likewise, the publication added that the Trump Organization has yet to respond to emails and comment on the situation.
1. Donald Trump Jr. took a business trip to India
2. Buyers got the chance to meet the US president’s son if they paid a $38,000 booking fee to reserve new building units
3. Taxpayers paid at least $32,000 for the triphttps://t.co/3vTghoBSFk
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) August 17, 2018
According to The Hill, the revelation of the expenses related to Trump Jr.’s India visit came a few days after San Francisco ethics commissioner Quentin Kopp sued the Secret Service for refusing to disclose the amount of money paid for the presidential son’s security detail. He maintained that as a taxpayer, he “resents” the non-disclosure of such information, adding that taxpayers should not have to pay for a trip where the president’s family can potentially earn a profit through the Trump Organization.
Before Donald Trump Jr. flew to India to promote his family’s real estate projects, the president’s oldest son and his younger brother Eric also made headlines. Last month news broke of government documents suggesting that the Secret Service paid over $215,000 to protect the brothers when they flew to Dubai in February of 2017 to open the Trump International Golf Club.
Later that month, the Secret Service allegedly spent in the vicinity of $30,000 as Eric Trump reportedly made a separate trip to the Dominican Republic to help revive a luxury resort project.
