600k just for the limos
So Pence has government business in Dublin so he books himself and his retinue into Trump’s golf course on the opposite side of Ireland so that Trump can squeeze some more $$$$ out of his fun government job, and who pays for the extra travel between Dublin and Doonbeg? Trump? Pence? Hahahaha don’t be silly; we do.
Mike Pence’s controversial visit to President Trump’s resort in Doonbeg is slated to cost taxpayers $599,454.36 in limousine service alone, according to State Department contracts reviewed by CREW.
The choice to stay at Trump’s Irish resort in Doonbeg was both highly inconvenient, and extremely expensive. Located 181 miles away on the opposite side of the country from Pence’s meetings in Dublin, Doonbeg was far from a convenient location.
It’s not as if there are no hotels in Dublin after all. Dublin is both the capital and a major tourist destination. People go to Dublin on purpose to look at things; Doonbeg not so much. Dublin has an array of hotels to serve all needs and budgets. Pence and retinue could have stayed in Dublin.
Pence’s $600k limo bill does not even cover the full cost of the trip, because it excludes the cost of Secret Service detail and lodging. CREW sent a Freedom of Information Act request for Secret Service records for a more complete picture of what the detour cost taxpayers.
The stay at Doonbeg was so ethically dubious that it has already sparked a congressional inquiry. So far, the Trump organization has provided no satisfying answers to ethics questions about the trip. Pence’s stay at the Trump golf course has been variously explained by the administration as Trump’s suggestion that Pence stay at the resort, visiting Pence’s family in Doonbeg, and the fact that Secret Service had already vetted to property. Trump insists on Twitter that it had nothing to do with him. The administration’s constantly changing story calls the real motivation in to question, but what is clear is that the detour was not convenient, and it did not come cheap.
Well sure, but the point is, the profit went to Trump and the expenses went to us.
Meanwhile, all other government employees are supposed to find the most cost-efficient way to go. I get shunted to the Omaha airport because the ticket price is cheaper than the Lincoln airport, and cheaper than the Grand Island airport, both of which are closer. But the drive adds cost; not enough to change the savings. So I have to go to a miserable, crowded airport to fly out for a few dollars less, increasing the stress and strain because Omaha is a nightmare to drive through, and walking through clouds of cigarette smoke just to enter the airport. At either Grand Island or Lincoln, the airports are easy and convenient, small, and no clouds of cigarette smoke.
Maybe if I were staying in one of Trump’s golf resorts when I got there, it might be different…we could spend the extra $75 for a ticket at Lincoln, I could sleep an hour later, be less grouchy, and not have an asthma attack.
But hey, one rule for Trumpistas and another for us plebians who are losers and not worth considering, right?
Wouldn’t a longer transit time from lodgings to meeting be a greater security risk, technically speaking? Wouldn’t a shorter route be safer and more secure than one that crosses half the country you’re visiting?
YNnB, yes, but it’s only Pence. It’s not as though it’s somebody who matters to Trump (other than Trump himself), like Ivanka or…or….nope, Ivanka is the entire list.