The U.S. State Department spent more than US$15,000 on accommodations at Vancouver’s Trump Tower, according to a report.
The hotel and tower which opened at the end of February 2017 to protests, isn’t owned by Donald Trump’s company, but pays royalties to carry its name.
Trump’s children, Donald Jr., Eric and Tiffany, along with their spouses were at the ribbon cutting ceremony and a VIP party during the official opening on Feb. 28.
According to files obtained by the Washington Post, the State Department paid for 19 rooms during the trip. It also spent US$5,000 on rooms at the nearby Hyatt Regency hotel.
While the booking information obtained by the Post did not disclose the reason for room bookings, an official told the newspaper “Embassy and consulate personnel work with the Secret Service to provide assistance on security matters as necessary.”
Information about the costs incurred to the Secret Service was not available at the time of publication.
The situation is similar to Donald Trump’s inclination to stay at his own private business properties, including the Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
The Trump Organization hasn’t been put into a trust, but instead is being run by Donald Jr. and Eric.
That provides an appearance that Trump’s business is profiting from him being president, former White House ethics director Walter Shaub Jr. told CBS News.
Shaub Jr. quit his post last week, but had spoken out about Trump’s plan for his business, saying it “doesn’t meet the standards” of Trump’s own Cabinet nominees and four decades of previous presidents.
During a separate business trip for Eric to Uruguay, the State Department paid US$9,510 for hotel rooms and the Secret Service paid US$88,320 for accommodations.
The Vancouver trip was also costly for the city itself: Vancouver Police said they spent an estimated $105,000 on patrolling anti-Trump protests on the day of the grand opening.
- With a file from the Associated Press