Taxpayers billed $1,092 for official’s stay at Mar-a-Lago

the White House made a point of saying that Abe would stay at the club free of charge as a personal guest of Trump.

The March invoice was provided to the advocacy group by the Coast Guard in response to a broader Freedom of Information Act request seeking records on the agency’s expenses related to Trumpaffiliated properties. The Coast Guard FOIA office searched the agency’s credit card payment records, which led it to the invoice, according to an explanation provided by the agency. did not respond to questions, including whether Trump’s company regularly charges the government for members of his traveling party to stay at the club.

The disclosure of the government payment to Mar-a-Lago comes as Trump, who has retained ownership of his real estate and hotel company, faces persistent allegations that he has inappropriately profited from his tenure in public office. Some critics have alleged that by doing business with foreign governments and other entities, Trump has violated the Constitution’s foreign “emoluments” clause, which prohibits the president from receiving gifts or benefits from foreign governments.