'unittd Starts roman COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS DC 20510?5250 September 5, 2019 The Honorable Mike Pence Vice President of the United States The White House 1600 Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. Vice President: I write with concern that, at President Trump?s ?suggestion,? you decided to stay at the Trump International Golf Links Hotel in the village of Doonbeg during your official visit to Ireland. I am alarmed that you elected to spend taxpayer dollars for travel and lodging at President Trump?s privately-owned property located on the other side of the country, more than 180 miles away from your meetings with government officials in Dublin.l This raises serious concerns about wasteful expenditures and possible conflicts of interest related to taxpayer- funded travel by this Administration. On September 3, you reportedly met with Ireland?s President, Michael D. Higgins, and Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in Dublin. Rather than stay in Dublin, you instead spent the ?rst two nights of your trip at President Trump?s golf club in Donnbeg. This involved not only the cost of lodging for yourself, your aides, and a protective service detail, but also considerable travel costs, including four hours in transit via motorcade and aboard Air Force Two in each direction. Citing security and logistical concerns, you and your Chief of Staff have made the claim that staying at President Trump?s resort in Doonbeg was necessary.2 I ?nd it hard to believe that your of?ce was unable to identify lodgings that could accommodate the security and logistical needs of your trip in the capital of Ireland, which houses among other locations the United States Embassy where President Reagan stayed during his 1984 visit.3 Maggie Haberman and Eric Lipton, Business as Norinai Pence?s Stay oi Trump Hotel in ireiand oiiows a Trend New York Times (Sept. 3, 20l9) 3 John Wagner, Robert Costa, and David Fahrenthold, Trump Encouraged Peirce to stay at his gotffreso? in Ireland, Washington Post (September 3, 2019) 9i09f03ia2dc63c4-ce3f?l le9-b29b-a528dc82154a 3 R.W. Apple Jr., irish in Ami-Reagan Moodfor Visit, New York Times (June l. i984) I 934i06i01 I am even more troubled by the apparent conflict of interest in your decision to stay at a property owned by President Trump, which creates the risk that taxpayer funds are being used to directly profit the President. As a public servant, you have an obligation to avoid even the perception of a conflict of interest. in response to media inquiries, your of?ce has since stated that the trip to Doonbeg was made in your personal capacity to visit family}4 Federal policies regarding official travel by government employees, including you, are organized around a single principle: public service is a privilege and taxpayer dollars spent on travel should be used prudently. In 2017, then Of?ce of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney issued guidance regarding travel aboard government aircraft, emphasizing speci?cally that ?beyond the law and formal policy, departments and agencies should recognize that we are public servants Put another way,just because something is legal doesn?t make it right.?5 Unfortunately, your travel to President Trump?s golf club is part of a troubling trend. Reports new claim that at least 24 of the 32 individuals who have served in the President?s Cabinet have patronized Trump properties, including the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC a another property owned by the President.5 President Trump still owns the Trump Organization via a trust and, under the terms of the trust, can draw income from his business at any time? In order to better understand your decision to stay at the Trump International Golf Links Hotel while on of?cial travel and the total cost of this trip to American taXpayers, I respectfully request your response to the following questions as soon as possible and no later than October 1, 2019: 1. Please provide the total cost to taxpayers of your travel to Ireland, broken out by expense category (lodging, air travel, ground travel, per diems, and other expenses), for you, your personal guests, your security detail, any government of?cials or employees, or others. Please also provide any underlying documentation including travel vouchers for this trip. 2. The Trump Organization has previously stated that it only charges the U.S. government ?at cost and [does] not profit from? stays by govermnent of?cials at properties owned by President Trump.3 In a public statement, yOur Chief of Staff, Marc Short, also stated that the government negotiated room rates with the Trump International Golf Links Hotel.gr 'l Washington Post. supra note 2. 5 Memorandum from Mick Mulvaney, Director ofthe Office of Management and Budget, to the I'Ieads of Executive Departments and Agencies, Travel on Government-Owned, Rented, Leased, or Chartered Aircraft [M-l?i-32) {September 29, 2017). New York Times, supra note i. 7 Derek Kravitz and Al Shaw, Trump Cory'irms President on Pail Money From His Businesses Whenever He Wants, Pro Publica (April 3 David Fahrenthold and Drew Harwell, Report: Trump ?s stay or his Scotland resort cost $68,800, Washington Post {July 1 201 8) led-Saca-SdeSSaeToOdS 9 Ii?oshingron Post, supra note 2. 21. Please provide all government expenses at the Trump International Golf Links Hotel, including any ultimately reimbursed by you. b. Please provide the room cost for you, your security detail, and all government of?cials traveling with you. c. Please provide comparable room costs from nearby hotels in Doonbeg and hotels in Dublin during this time period. d. Please indicate whether a government rate was provided during your stay at the Trump International Golf Links Hotel. e. Please indicate whether your office was charged ?at cost? by Trump International Golf Links Hotel and, if so, how this has been con?rmed by your of?ce. 3. After media inquiries, your Chief of Staff stated that you are personally paying for travel expenses attributed to your family members, who are traveling with you in Ireland.10 Please provide information on all expenditures by the government pertaining to travel by your family during your trip to Ireland, the amount of any reimbursement you are providing, and the date(s) of such reimbursement(s). 4. Please state whether any analysis was conducted to compare the full costs of travel including lodging, security, and other travel costs for staying in Doonbeg instead of Dublin during your of?cial visit to Ireland. If so, please provide this analysis and any underlying documentation. I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your prompt response. Sincerely, ?z?i 'Gary C. I?crs Ranking Member Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in New York Times, supra note I.