Air Force orders review of layover stays

WASHINGTON – The Air Force ordered a review of its layover stays after an outcry over military spending at President Donald Trump’s golf resort at Turnberry in Scotland.

Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said in a statement to USA TODAY, “Air Force leadership directed Air Mobility Command to review all guidance pertaining to selection of airports and lodging accommodations during international travels.”

Politico first reported that seven Air National Guard service members flying from the USA to Kuwait stopped at Glasgow Prestwick Airport and stayed at Trump Turnberry resort. Stefanek said the choice of lodging, “even if within government rates, might be allowable but not advisable.”

Politico first reported the review, as well as the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the Trump Turnberry resort. Stefanek noted that the Glasgow Prestwick Airport has been used as a stopover location since 2015.

Monday, Trump tweeted that the controversy has “NOTHING TO DO WITH ME.”

According to a letter from the House Oversight Committee, spending at the Turnberry resort “increased substantially since the election.”

Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., noted in the letter that from October 2017 to June of this year, there have been 629 purchase orders for fuel at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, totaling $11 million. The airport, which the Democrats said is integral to the resort’s financial success, has struggled financially in recent years and is being sold, according to the BBC.

Trump’s business dealings have drawn scrutiny and criticism from House Democrats. Last week, a statement from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office called Trump’s properties a “cesspool of corruption.” Some lawmakers accused the president of violating the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution through his business empire.

It is unknown what degree of involvement Trump has with the Trump Organization, which is held in a trust managed by his sons Eric and Donald Jr. and Trump Organization trustee Allen Weisselberg.