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Trump Had Deal With Scotland Airport That Sent Flight Crews to His Resort

WASHINGTON — Back in 2014, soon after acquiring a golf resort in Scotland, Donald J. Trump entered a partnership with a struggling local airport there to increase air traffic and boost tourism in the region.

The next year, as Mr. Trump began running for president, the Pentagon decided to ramp up its use of that same airport to refuel Air Force flights and gave the local airport authority the job of helping to find accommodations for flight crews who had to remain overnight.

Those two separate arrangements have now intersected in ways that provide the latest evidence of how Mr. Trump’s continued ownership of his business produces regular ethical questions.

On Monday, President Trump sought to tamp down a growing controversy over a stay at the resort by United States military personnel who were traveling through the airport in Scotland in March. First on Twitter and later speaking to reporters at the White House, he said he was not involved in any decision to put an Air Force flight crew at the resort, known as Trump Turnberry.

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“I know nothing about an Air Force plane landing at an airport (which I do not own and have nothing to do with) near Turnberry Resort (which I do own) in Scotland, and filling up with fuel, with the crew staying overnight at Turnberry (they have good taste!),” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter. “NOTHING TO DO WITH ME.”

But documents obtained from Scottish government agencies show that the Trump Organization, and Mr. Trump himself, played a direct role in setting up an arrangement between the Turnberry resort and officials at Glasgow Prestwick Airport.

The government records, released through Scottish Freedom of Information law, show that the Trump organization, starting in 2014, entered a partnership with the airport to try to increase private and commercial air traffic to the region.

As part of that arrangement, the Trump Organization worked to get Trump Turnberry added to a list of hotels that the airport would routinely send aircrews to, even though the Turnberry resort is 20 miles from the airport, farther away than many other hotels, and has higher advertised prices.

Trump Organization executives held a series of meetings with the airport officials to negotiate terms that would lead to more referrals, the documents show.

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“As a list of hotels that we use for our business, being honest, Turnberry was always last on the list, based on price,” Jules Matteoni, a manager at Glasgow Prestwick, wrote in June 2015 to executives at Trump Turnberry. “Yesterday’s proposal places Turnberry in a favorable position and gives us food for thought in our placement of crews moving forward.”

Mr. Trump visited Glasgow Prestwick in 2014 and promised to help increase traffic at the airport, although at the time he was largely referring to plans to drive corporate jets there and attract other commercial traffic perhaps carrying golfers on the way to his resort.

“Forging a new partnership between the airport and the Trump Organization will undoubtedly be mutually beneficial,” Iain Cochrane, then the chief executive of the airport, said at the time of Mr. Trump’s visit.

The documents detailing these conversations were previously obtained by reporters in Scotland, including The Scotsman and The Guardian, who wrote articles about the relationship between the Prestwick airport and the Trump Organization. The documents are still posted on the Scottish government website.

Both the Defense Department and executives at the airport confirmed on Monday that the airport also has a separate arrangement with the United States Air Force. Under that arrangement, the Scottish airport not only refuels American military planes but also helps arrange hotel accommodations for arriving crews, as it does for some civilian and commercial aircraft.

“We provide a full handling service for customers and routinely arrange overnight accommodation for visiting aircrew when requested,” the Prestwick airport said in a statement on Monday. “We use over a dozen local hotels, including Trump Turnberry, which accounts for a small percentage of the total hotel bookings we make.”

It was through the arrangement with the Pentagon that a seven-person United States Air Force crew ended up staying at the Trump Turnberry in March. An Air Force C-17 military transport plane was on its way from Alaska to Kuwait when it stopped at Prestwick overnight to refuel and give the crew a break.

The crew, which consisted of active duty and national guard members from Alaska, was charged $136 per room, which was less expensive than a Marriott property’s rate of $161. And both were under the per diem rate of $166.

“A local agent on contract with the U.S. government assisted with the reservations and indicated that there wasn’t a room available closer to Prestwick airport,” the Air Force said in a statement. A Defense Department official added on Monday that “yes — the Air Force relies on a contracted representative at the Prestwick airport to support our aircrew needs.”

The number of such stops by Air Force planes at Prestwick rose from 180 in 2017 to 257 last year and 259 so far this year. The 259 stops this year included 220 overnight stays. Since October 2017, records show 917 payments for expenses including fuel at the airport worth a total of $17.2 million.

Air Force officials could not say on Monday how many times military crews had been sent to Trump Turnberry, but added that they are now going through vouchers to come up with such a count.

Lt. Gen. Jon T. Thomas, the deputy commander of the Air Force Air Mobility Command, said in an interview on Monday that the rising number of military stopovers at Prestwick was entirely based on operational demands, as the airport is in a convenient location, has 24-hour operations and offers ample aircraft parking, among other advantages. He added that the Air Force has been using Prestwick for stopovers since at least the late 1990s.

But he agreed that the decision to place Air Force crew members at a hotel owned by Mr. Trump’s family had created questions that the Defense Department needed to address. As a result, the Air Force is now reviewing policies on where crews are put up in hotels during international trips.

“Let’s make sure we are considering potential for misperception that could be created by where we billet the aircrews,” he said. “It is a reasonable ask for us to make sure we are being sensitive to misperceptions that could be formed by the American people or Congress or anyone else.”

Mr. Trump disputed that there were any legitimate questions about the stay by the Air Force crew, suggesting that he was so wealthy that the business was inconsequential to him.

“I don’t need to have somebody take a room overnight at a hotel,” Mr. Trump said.

He also dismissed suggestions that he was profiting when Vice President Mike Pence recently spent two nights at the Trump family’s golf resort in Doonbeg, Ireland.

“So what is happening is the following: Every time you find a person landing in an airplane within 500 miles of something I own, Mike Pence, as an example, his family lives in Doonbeg, Ireland,” Mr. Trump said, rejecting these questions as unfounded.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/09/us/politics/trump-hotel-turnberry.html

Trump says Air Force stays at his Scotland resort have 'NOTHING TO DO WITH ME'

President Donald Trump on Monday denied any involvement in a shift in military practice that has allowed Air Force crews to overnight at his luxury Turnberry golf resort in Scotland.

“I know nothing about an Air Force plane landing at an airport (which I do not own and have nothing to do with) near Turnberry Resort (which I do own) in Scotland, and filling up with fuel, with the crew staying overnight at Turnberry (they have good taste!),” Trump said in a tweet, claiming that the decision for crews to overnight at the luxury seaside resort has “NOTHING TO DO WITH ME.”

The U.S. Air Force on Sunday ordered a worldwide review of how the branch chooses overnight accommodations for its crews following a POLITICO report revealing that the House Oversight Committee was investigating an uptick in unusual stops there — stops that included overnight stays at Trump Turnberry by Air Force crews in the past four years.

Typically, Air Force crews will stop at U.S. military bases elsewhere in Europe to refuel, where it would be cheaper to do so. But according to a letter the Oversight Committee sent the Pentagon in June, the military has spent $11 million on fuel at the Prestwick Airport — the closest to Trump Turnberry — since October 2017.

The committee’s investigation, which began in April of this year, is probing whether the stops pose a conflict of interest for the president and whether the military is helping to prop up Trump’s resort, which had been losing money. An aide for the committee told POLITICO that the Pentagon has not responded to their inquiries as part of the probe.

Though Air Force officials have insisted that the crews' stops to refuel at the Prestwick Airport appeared to adhere to existing guidelines for military stopovers, the agency has also said it will determine whether it is appropriate for members to stay at properties owned by the commander in chief.

Officials also said that in the case of an April stay by a crew at Turnberry, which sparked the Oversight investigation, the members "used the closest available and least expensive accommodations to the airfield within the crews’ allowable hotel rates."

The crew, which was headed to Kuwait on a routine trip to deliver supplies, stopped in Glasgow, which has no U.S. military base. On similar trips to the Middle East, crews more frequently landed at U.S. air bases in Germany and Spain to refuel, according to one person familiar with the trips, with occasional stops in the Azores and once in Sigonella, Italy.

The revelations sparked immediate backlash, and they come as the Trump administration has already come under fire for attempting to divert Pentagon funding to build the president’s long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Accusations that Trump’s properties are unfairly profiting off of his administration have dogged the president since entering office. Trump still owns his business but placed his holdings in a trust designed to hold assets for his benefit. He can receive money from the trust at any time.

Ethics officials and lawmakers have raised concerns about foreign officials staying at Trump hotels, noting that Trump supporters and industry groups regularly hold events at Trump-owned locations. Trump is also considering hosting next year’s G-7 summit of world leaders at his Doral resort in Miami, a potential financial boon for the property, and has previously stayed at the Turnberry property during an official visit to the United Kingdom.

Revenue increased by $3.1 million at Trump Turnberry in 2018, which Trump visited in July of that year, according to Trump’s most recent personal financial disclosure forms.

Last week, Vice President Mike Pence raised eyebrows when he stayed at Trump’s resort in Doonbeg, Ireland, during a visit there, despite its location hundreds of miles away from his meetings in Dublin. The Oversight Committee is investigating that stay as well.

Trump on Monday defended Pence’s stay at Doonbeg, writing on Twitter that he played no role in Pence’s decision to stay there despite Pence’s chief of staff telling reporters originally that Trump had suggested it.

“I had nothing to do with the decision of our great @VP Mike Pence to stay overnight at one of the Trump owned resorts in Doonbeg, Ireland,” Trump wrote. “Mike’s family has lived in Doonbeg for many years, and he thought that during his very busy European visit, he would stop and see his family!”

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/09/trump-air-force-scotland-resort-1486440

Trump had deal with airport to send aircrews to his Scotland resort: report

The Trump Organization and President Trump himself have been directly involved in developing a partnership between his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland and Glasgow Prestwick Airport since 2014, according to The New York Times.

The partnership, which began a year before Trump’s presidential campaign kicked off, worked to add Trump Turnberry to a list of hotels used by the airports aircrew, despite the fact that it is significantly farther away from the airport than other hotels used in a similar manner and has higher advertised prices, according to the Times.

Executives with the organization met with airport officials for talks on how to drive more referrals, according to the Times, citing documents obtained through the Scottish Freedom of Information law.

The Pentagon and the airport both confirmed to the Times that the airport has a separate arrangement with the U.S. Air Force to refuel American planes and arrange hotel accommodations.

“We provide a full handling service for customers and routinely arrange overnight accommodation for visiting aircrew when requested,” the Prestwick airport said in a statement on Monday.

“We use over a dozen local hotels, including Trump Turnberry, which accounts for a small percentage of the total hotel bookings we make,” it added.

The report comes amid controversy over U.S. military personnel staying at the resort while traveling through the airport in March.

Trump has repeatedly denied involvement in the move, tweeting Monday, “I know nothing about an Air Force plane landing at an airport (which I do not own and have nothing to do with) near Turnberry Resort (which I do own) in Scotland, and filling up with fuel, with the crew staying overnight at Turnberry (they have good taste!)”

The Pentagon arrangement was the mechanism for the seven-person Air Force crew’s stay at the resort in March on the way from Alaska to Kuwait, according to the Times.

“A local agent on contract with the U.S. government assisted with the reservations and indicated that there wasn’t a room available closer to Prestwick airport,” the Air Force said in a statement, according to the Times.

Air Force plane stops at Prestwick have increased from 180 in 2017 to 257 in 2018 and 259 so far, including 220 overnight stays, in 2019. Air Force officials could not tell the Times how many times crews had been sent to Trump Turnberry specifically but said they are combing through vouchers to determine the exact count.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administrat...scotland-resort

People just don't care that Trump is lining his pockets with tax payer dollars. They only care about the parts of the constitution that give them guns and make sure they can win elections with the minority of the vote.

In your obsessed drive to nail our President, you guys are wrong again!

Shame!


Air Force deal to refuel near Trump’s Scottish resort reportedly signed under Obama


The controversial arrangement by the U.S. Air Force to refuel at a Scottish airport near President Trump’s Turnberry golf resort apparently was signed under the Obama administration, according to multiple reports.

The details emerged as the Air Force was called to explain a March stopover in the Scottish resort -- with Democrats on the House Oversight Committee writing to Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan as part of their investigation into alleged conflicts of interest by the president. The twist revealing that the airport deal predates his administration could boost Trump's case.

Politico, which was among the outlets to publish stories this week examining the relationship between the Air Force and the resort, reported that the Air Force crews stayed at Trump’s Scottish resort up to 40 times since 2015.

It also reported that the contract with the Prestwick Airport was in fact signed during the Obama administration. The Washington Post also reported that the airport was sending visiting crews to Trump’s course before he ran for president.

The Air Force said in a statement that relatively few crews stayed at Trump Turnberry between 2015 and 2019.

“We reviewed the vast majority of the 659 overnight stays of Air Force crews in the vicinity at Glasgow Prestwick Airport between 2015 and 2019. Approximately six percent of those crews stayed at the Trump Turnberry,” the statement from an Air Force official said. “As a practice, we generally send aircrews to the closest, most suitable accommodations within the government hotel rate. The review also indicated that about 75 percent of the crews stayed in the immediate vicinity of the airfield and 18 percent stayed in Glasgow.”

The Post noted that no evidence has emerged to show Trump did anything to alter the existing arrangement since entering office. The New York Times, meanwhile, found that the deal involved the Air Force paying a discounted rate of as little as $130 a night, compared with a typical rate of more than $300 a night. It was one of 13 hotels booked by the airport, and is approximately 40 minutes away from the airport.

Trump has dismissed criticism on the issue, saying he had “nothing to do” with the stops.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/air-force-deal-with-airport-turnberry

American up already!

Fake Fox News! Every other MAJOR outlet said differently. You know, the ones normal people read.

Maybe we should check it with the experts over at Breitbart or Stormfront to get their opinion.

I think Fox News hired a russian troll on 8chan to write for laura Ingraham.

Read my post.

The Washington Post
The NY Times
Politico
FOX

They all say FAKE NEWS on your part.

American up already!

American up? You support a man who name calls people in your own party. Nothing about Trump says America.

You mean like you did when you put on the uniform and served?

I agree with 40, its time for you to American Up!!!

Since Trump has come along I think some of you have forgotten what being an American actually means. By your definition, America means stealing from the poor and giving to the rich. It means working to destroy the environment. It means supporting a leader that has shown no family values in his own life. It means selling down the river everything you used to say you stood for. It means supporting a pathological liar. It means supporting a man that sounds like a grade school bully that knows nothing but how to belittle and name calling his opponents.

Is that the "American up" you're talking about?

And you talk about someone "not following the thread rules"?

You're totally out of your depth right now and seething with hate. Personally I think you either need to go to a natural retreat or take up some kind of meditation. You seem unstable to me.

Oh, one more thing, if you hate everything so much, what's your alternative? What do you want? Who do you want? I haven't seen you say that yet. Why not?

You can’t argue a thing Pit pointed out because it’s all true.

I'm seething with facts you simply refuse to take responsibility for.

But that's the only game you have left. Refuse to admit the truth and try and place the blame on someone else. I've seen children do that a lot.

Pointing out the truth doesn't equal hate no matter how much you spin it.

I want at least a fairly honest president that works to unite our nation rather than divide it. Someone who doesn't use insults and name calling as his central talking points.

The bar has been set pretty low. You guys had 20 candidates to choose from. Many far better and more deserving. Some of them would have been much better.

At least we would be talking about policy and not having to use a calculator to keep up with how many lies he tells a day.

You guys could have done so much better. But you refused to.

Some article,

It was Win-Win, no wonder the democrats are crying fowl, that stands against anything they believe.

2. Wait, I was only half correct, it was Win-Win And Nobody got Hurt!, the democrats art "totally" against any of that.

IIRC, I stayed in a Trump resort the day Melvin Fowler was drafted by the Browns, therefore; they'll claim conflict of interest; but
the democrat party is still a jealous brat, and dangerous.

Yep. Tax payers are paying more for jet fuel at their airport and we're paying a fortune for them to stay at a Trump resort. MAGA

I guess I missed that part.

In the article, it says this all started way before Trump even ran for, let alone got elected.

It also listed the room prices. Perhaps I missed something.

I didn't say who it started under. To me that really doesn't matter. Bad policy is bad policy no matter who was in charge.

Our military fuel costs are higher for fuel at commercial airports.

https://qz.com/1705571/us-military-spent-17-million-at-scottish-airport-near-trump-resort/

And actually it didn't list prices. It said, "a discounted rate of as little as $130 a night". It doesn't actually say what was paid.

We all know how those type of phrases work. We won't tell you what it actually costs. We'll give you the lowest estimate of the cost to make it sound as good as possible.

I don't know............from ocd's post:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/09/us/politics/trump-hotel-turnberry.html

Do you think putting our service members up at the Marriott or a private resort is a wise way of spending tax payer dollars? I mean is that necessary?

Typical of you.

You make statements, get proven wrong, then change your talking point, get proven wrong, then change again.

$136 dollars. That's what they were charged.




I suppose if there were a Motel 6 there that charged $60 a room, you'd be in favor of that. But, of course, if that were to happen under Trump, you'd be posting about how terrible it is for Trump to mandate U.S. military be housed in such terrible conditions.

It started under Obama. You do realize that, correct? Way before Trump EVER even ran for president.

thats a false narrative though.

the deal to send them to that hotel was made long before anybody thought trump was gonna be president.

and its fine that trump won, but the issue should've been revised then.

i dont care about the cost of the hotel, but its an absolute conflict of interest to have anybody from the government staying at a presidents personal business. simply have them stay at another hotel.

you wouldn't tolerate it under a clinton presidency, so i dont understand why you're trying to defend it now.

Good post. Appreciate it.

Bottom line is the rooms were/are cheaper. Isn't that saving money?

I'll have the numbers wrong here, but somewhere in the thread it said something like only 6% of the time do air crews stay at Trump's place. I think that's close to what I read. It's in ocd's posts somewhere.

I understand what you're saying though.

Yes I do. I stated as much above and said that didn't make any difference to me. It's a waste of tax payer dollars. I said that bad policy is bad policy no matter who is in charge. Let me show you.....



They could easily refuel at a military base and stay in military guest housing at a much less expense. Cheaper fuel and cheaper lodging.

You see, actually I was the one who said I didn't care about which party was in power. You are the one that seems all hung up on that. So you can stop that dumb BS right now. I mean if you can actually digest what I quoted.

saving money is irrelevant if you're only putting money into the pockets of a politician, whoever it is.

*just using easy numbers*

yes, staying at a hotel thats 100 dollars a night for say, 100 people, is certainly gonna save money over a place thats 150. but if that place is owned by your own boss, then you're personally enriching the guy at the expense of the tax payer.

i dont care if its 6% or 2%. it should be 0.

look at the other example: Pence had business in dublin, ireland, yet instead of staying in the area, decided to go basically to the other side of the country to stay in one of trump's hotels.

thats personally enriching the POTUS.

so in this particular situation, just stay at the marriot (or any other decent hotel in the area). atleast we avoid the conflict of interest, and its a non issue.

this is less about cost and more about integrity.

So, why did Obama approve it?

I agree with your last sentence. For a large part. I understand the conflict of interest aspect.

I have no idea but he never should have.

GOP Group Uses Trump's Own Words On Corruption Against Him In Searing Fox News Ad

https://news.yahoo.com/republicans-for-the-rule-of-law-trump-properties-ad.html

And here we go again. G-7 summit coming up, and guess where trump decides it’s gonna be held?

His own property. Once again, using the office to personally enrich himself, which is illegal.

MURICA !

Democrats introduce 'THUG Act' to block funding for G-7 at Trump resort

Democrats introduced legislation Friday that would block federal funding for next year’s Group of Seven (G-7) summit at Trump National Doral Miami.

Democratic Reps. Lois Frankel (Fla.), Bennie Thompson (Miss.) and Steve Cohen (Tenn.) introduced the Trump’s Heist Undermines the G-7 (THUG) Act after acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney told reporters Thursday that the Trump resort near Miami will host the annual summit of world leaders June 10-12.

A companion bill is being introduced in the Senate by Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.).

“Mr. Trump is unashamed of his corruption,” Frankel said in a statement. “He is abusing the office of the Presidency and violating law by directing millions of dollars of American and foreign money to his family enterprises by holding an important meeting of world leaders at his Doral resort.”

“His contempt for the Constitution and American people seems boundless in profiting from his office through payments from foreign governments," Blumenthal added. "Our Founding Fathers are rolling over in their graves. Congress must act to stop this plain craven abuse of power and corruption."

The legislation also would require Trump to provide Congress with any documents related to his decision to host the event at his property. The measure is unlikely to be taken up in the GOP-controlled Senate.

Mulvaney said the Doral property was one of 12 that was under consideration and that it was ultimately chosen in part because of its proximity to airports, landing zones and hospitals. The acting chief of staff dismissed criticism that the property’s selection violates the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, which prohibits presidents from accepting payments from foreign countries, U.S. states or the federal government.

"I get the criticisms. So does [Trump]… but no, there’s no issue here on him profiting from this in any way, shape or form," Mulvaney said. "If you think it's going to help his brand, that's great, but I would suggest that he doesn't need much help promoting his brand."

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/46655...-at-trump-hotel

I can’t stand the lame and totally inappropriate name for the bill. THUG Act???

Stop acting like third graders and maybe someone will take you more seriously.

Doral is not an appropriate place for the G-7. So be serious about it.

agree.
100%

Question for Mr. Mulvaney;

Could you please tell us how much it would cost the Trump's to get world wide publicity and promotion for the Doral resort over the three day period of the G-7 summit including the time leading up to the summit and just after the summit? We know such exposure if paid for in commercial time would run in the millions. So can you tell us how that's not profiting from it?

Trump says his Doral resort will no longer host G-7 after backlash


President Trump on Saturday said he would no longer host next year's Group of Seven (G-7) summit at his Doral resort after intense backlash from Democrats, ethics watchdogs and some Republican lawmakers.

The reversal came two days after the White House announced that Trump National Doral near Miami would host the gathering of world leaders next June. The decision was widely panned by critics who viewed it as a brazen move for the president to enrich his family brand.

Trump tweeted Sunday night, "Thought I was doing something very good for our Country by using Trump National Doral, in Miami, for hosting the G-7 Leaders," boasting of the property's proximity to major airports and its physical spaces.

"I announced that I would be willing to do it at NO PROFIT or, if legally permissible, at ZERO COST to the USA. But, as usual, the Hostile Media & their Democrat Partners went CRAZY!" Trump tweeted.

About 35 minutes later, Trump followed up with a tweet announcing the venue would be changed.

"Therefore, based on both Media & Democrat Crazed and Irrational Hostility, we will no longer consider Trump National Doral, Miami, as the Host Site for the G-7 in 2020," Trump tweeted. "We will begin the search for another site, including the possibility of Camp David, immediately. Thank you!"





Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney announced during a briefing on Thursday that Doral would host the G-7 summit next June. He said the Trump family property was chosen after White House teams scouted a dozen properties as potential sites.

Mulvaney downplayed questions about the appearance of a conflict of interest for the president, insisting that there would be no profit and that the resort was "far and away the best choice."

"I get the criticisms. So does [Trump]… but no, there’s no issue here on him profiting from this in any way, shape or form," Mulvaney said. "If you think it's going to help his brand, that's great, but I would suggest that he doesn't need much help promoting his brand."

Trump was the one who encouraged Doral be considered, Mulvaney said, which further inflamed criticism.

The announcement immediately drew backlash. Critics viewed it as a blatant violation of the Emoluments Clause, which prevents elected officials from receiving gifts or benefits from foreign governments.

Democrats quickly sought details of the contract for Doral, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) pledged to add the use of the Trump property for the G-7 to an ongoing Emoluments Clause lawsuit against the president.

"This is corruption, plain and simple," tweeted Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"The Constitution is clear: the President cannot accept gifts or payments from foreign governments. No one is above the law," Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tweeted.

Even some Republicans expressed unease over the decision.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told reporters it was not appropriate for Trump to host the G-7 at his own property.

Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.), who is retiring at the end of his term, told The Washington Post he felt the decision "just further fans the flames that the Democrats have been ranting about.”

The Doral decision also exacerbated an already difficult week in the White House. Multiple current and former administration officials have cooperated with House Democrats in their impeachment inquiry into the president, and Republicans have come out in force to criticize Trump over his foreign policy in Syria.

Two of the most damaging revelations came during Mulvaney's Thursday presser: That Doral would host the G-7 and the admission that aid for Ukraine was tied to an investigation into Democrats involved in the 2016 election lead-up. Both have since been undercut or reversed over the course of 60 hours as the White House seeks to do damage control.

In another contradiction of Mulvaney, Trump floated Camp David as a potential new host site. The Maryland retreat hosted the last G-7 in the United States in 2012, though Mulvaney told reporters Thursday that he heard those involved in that event "thought it was a miserable place to have the G-7."

Mulvaney said the White House had considered a dozen sites, which included spots in California, Florida, Colorado, Hawaii, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee and Utah.

The final four sites included Doral, two spots in Utah and one in Hawaii, according to Mulvaney.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administrat...-after-backlash

The whole thing was a distraction? Nope, he just blinked.

This man is so stupid that even when he actually does the right thing he feels the need to blame it on somebody else.