Taxpayers pick up tab for billionaire US ambassador's stay at Donald Trump's Scottish resort

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: The Scotsman

News Politics

Taxpayers pick up tab for billionaire US ambassador's stay at Donald Trump’s Scottish resort
The billionaire US ambassador to the UK ran up a bill to US taxpayers totalling more than £1,000 in a single day while staying at Donald Trump’s flagship Scottish hotel and golf resort.

By Martyn Mclaughlin
Wednesday, 7th October 2020, 10:00 pm

US federal government receipts show that Woody Johnson enjoyed a £426 dinner with his wife during a visit to the US president’s Turnberry property, and spent several hundred pounds on its golf offerings.

One leading ethics watchdog said it was “simply embarrassing” that the “multi-billionaire” diplomat, who is from one of the wealthiest families in America, would play golf at Mr Trump’s course and leave the US public to pay for the privilege.

The revelation will also reignite the controversy over how the president's privately held businesses are able to generate revenue via his public office at the expense of ordinary US citizens.



As revealed by The Scotsman throughout Mr Trump’s tenure in the White House, his loss making and heavily indebted Turnberry resort - arguably the most prestigious of any of the Trump Organisation’s golf courses around the world - has received tens of thousands of pounds from his own government since he took office.

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Read more: https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/exclusive-taxpayers-pick-tab-billionaire-us-ambassadors-stay-donald-trumps-scottish-resort-2996147

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David Fahrenthold Retweeted

https://twitter.com/Fahrenthold

Here’s what I don’t understand: how could this be considered official travel? Can’t this billionaire ambassador pay for his own resort time?

Link to tweet

[Pluvious]

1. Just the fact such in your face flagrant abuse of power like this is lost in the noise

Show how far we've fallen

Sad

[llmart]

2. There is so much corruption and grifting it's hard to keep track of it.

This should be a headline. Instead, editors have so many scandals to follow with this criminal cabal that they have to be overwhelmed.

This sickens me. People in this country are hurting and these f***ing billionaires are living high on the hog on our taxpayers' hard earned money.

[FakeNoose]

3. This is insane - send the bill collectors to this guy

[jmowreader]

4. Well...of course he did.

Listen close, my long-suffering friends: After Trump is voted out of office next month, he isn't going to try to destroy the world just because. He, his Cabinet, his demon spawns, and everyone he knows, will be running up a tab at every Trump property worldwide at taxpayer expense. He knows the gravy train is going to end on January 20, 2021, and he's going to work his ass off stealing as much money as is humanly possible.

You know the old children's story about the scorpion and the frog. Trump is like the scorpion...stealing is in his nature.

[pansypoo53219]

5. no emoluments? REALLY???

[JudyM]

6. Morning kick.

Betting there’s plenty more of this in this administration.

Hoping our Congresscritters investigate widespread spending violations and all other conflicts of interest, and firm up the COI rules when we retake the Senate.