President Donald Trump's sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump cost taxpayers about $250,000 in flights, hotels and other Secret Service protection expenses in one month for two trips abroad that included visits to Trump family businesses, documents obtained by a watchdog show.
When Trump's sons flew to Dubai to cut the ribbon on a Trump brand golf course in February 2017, the Secret Service spent more than $200,000 to protect them, including about $125,000 on airfare, $75,000 for their hotel stays and more than $15,000 in cell phone, car service and other costs, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) revealed Wednesday based on Department of Homeland Security documents.
Also that month, Eric Trump flew to the Dominican Republic for a potential effort to relaunch a previously unfruitful Trump brand resort, and spent more than $30,000 on flights, hotels and car rentals, among other expenses, according to documents.
"It would be one thing if it was just protecting the president's family, but they are the heads of the president's business which he has not divested from," CREW spokesman Jordan Libowitz spokesman told Newsweek. "So they are ostensibly going on trips to make the president money and taxpayers are getting stuck with a fairly large bill from them."
BREAKING: We got the Secret Service costs for Eric and Don Jr.'s overseas business trips. Taxpayers were on the hook for about $250,000 in a single month! https://t.co/sgErZ1bO26
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) July 18, 2018
CREW also got documents that provide a broader look at how much the Trump brothers cost taxpayers for April 2017 trips to Vancouver and Uruguay, that previous reports indicated included $15,000 in expenses at a Trump brand property.
"The Secret Service documents, received through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, shed light on how much taxpayers are paying for trips taken by the heads of the president's private business empire," CREW stated in its press release.
Trump International Golf Club Dubai was the first Trump brand property to open after Donald Trump was inaugurated, and raised concerns of potential conflicts of interests. A guest of honor at the opening, Trump Jr. praised the "incredible vision" of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, vice president of the United Arab Emirates, a U.S. ally.
"As a developer, which lets us be somewhat artists at times, it is truly incredible to be part of that vision," Trump Jr. said at the time.
Also a guest of honor, Eric Trump called Hussain Sajwani, the billionaire founder of AMAC Properties which built the golf club, "a great friend."
"We are going to have a lot of fun years together and this is just the beginning of those days," Eric Trump said.
The White House and Trump Organization, which the president handed over to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump to run after entering the White House, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Newsweek on Wednesday.
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