Trump Jr.’s India trip costly for taxpayers

NEW DELHI — Government records show that taxpayers spent more than $32,000 on hotel rooms for the security detail that accompanied Donald Trump Jr. to India earlier this year to promote his family’s luxury real estate projects — with many bills still unaccounted for.

A review of General Services Administration purchase orders shows that the government paid $15,166 for rooms for “Don Jr Visit to Mumbai” and another bill for $3,501, as well as $13,468 for hotels in the western Indian city of Pune, for a total of $32,135.

A third purchase order for the city of Kolkata for the same time frame lists an additional $9,880 for a “VIP visit.” Officials at the U.S. Consulate in Kolkata declined to identify the VIP in question. The costs of the hotel rooms for the entourage’s stay in the capital — likely a hefty portion of the tab — as well as the airfare and transportation expenses remain unclear.

Trump Jr. came to India in February on a whirlwind promotional trip during which he was feted with champagne toasts and met buyers of four Trump luxury residential real estate projects in Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata and outside the capital, New Delhi.

The Trump Organization not respond.

The Secret Service is authorized to protect the president, vice president and their immediate family members.

But ethics expects have criticized the protection expenses incurred by Trump Jr., , his brother Eric and sister Ivanka while on promotional trips for the family’s real estate business. did