GAO to examine Trump travel costs to Fla. resort
WASHINGTON — A government watchdog will examine the taxpayerfunded travel costs when President Donald Trump travels to the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and the security procedures surrounding those trips, several congressional Democrats announced Tuesday.
The lawmakers requested the inquiry by the Government Accountability Office after reports that Trump, accompanied by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, openly discussed North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile while at the resort. The Democrats also raised concerns about the cost to taxpayers.
In a Friday letter to the lawmakers, the GAO said it will examine how Trump’s communications and classified information are secured when he’s traveling, including whether a secure space exists at Mar-a-Lago.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump and other Republicans criticized Democrat Hillary Clinton for compromising national security by using a private email server. Democrats have seized on Trump’s Feb. 11 visit to Mar-a-Lago with Abe as an example of what they say is Trump’s own carelessness with sensitive information.
In a letter sent to the GAO last month seeking the review, the lawmakers said Trump, his staff and Abe also may have reviewed potentially sensitive material in apparent violation of protocols.
The GAO also will examine what measures, if any, the Secret Service and Defense Department have to ensure that charges for travel-related expenses incurred with providing protecting for trips to Mar-aLago are fair and reasonable. The Democrats, citing news reports, said each of Trump’s weekend trips to his Florida estate costs about $3 million.
Noting that Trump is accompanied by members of his staff, military aides and Secret Service agents, the lawmakers said it’s not clear “how many of these individuals incur travel and room expenses using taxpayer dollars.”