Air Force: ‘Not unusual’ for crew to stay at Trump resort

The Air Force said a crew’s stay at a Trump resort in Scotland during a refueling stop on its way to Kuwait was “not unusual.” 

“As our air crews serve on these international airlift missions, they follow strict guidelines on contracting for hotel accommodations and all expenditures of taxpayer dollars,” Air Force Brig. Gen. Ed Thomas said in a statement to CNN.{mosads}

The Air Force told the network that it’s reviewing trip records, adding that the Trump resort was less expensive than a nearby Marriott. 

“In this case, they made reservations through the Defense Travel System and used the closest available and least expensive accommodations to the airfield within the crews’ allowable hotel rates. While we are still reviewing the trip records, we have found nothing that falls outside the guidelines associated with selecting stopover airports on travel routes and hotel accommodations for crew rest,” Thomas added. 

The Hill reached out to the Air Force for comment. 

The March trip to Trump’s Turnberry resort in Scotland is the focus of a House Oversight and Reform Committee investigation. 

The oversight panel’s investigation is part of a broader inquiry into military spending at and around the property, according to sources who spoke to Politico. 

The committee said in a letter to the Pentagon in June that was obtained by The Hill that the military has spent $11 million on fuel at the Prestwick Airport, the closest airport to Trump Turnberry, since October 2017 despite the fact that cheaper fuel could be purchased at a U.S. military base. 

It raises further questions over whether Trump’s private businesses are profiting from his presidency. 

Last week, Democrats criticized Vice President Pence’s stay at a Trump resort in Doonbeg, Ireland, during an official visit. The resort is 182 miles away from Dublin, where Pence met officials. 

Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, told reporters Trump did not direct Pence to stay at the resort after earlier saying the president had suggested Pence stay at the Trump location.