8/14/2019

CANADA/DONALD JR/SECRET SERVICE/TRUMP FAMILY: “Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, flew to Canada for one of his regular visits to the Yukon mountains to hunt stone sheep with friends. He was accompanied by Secret Service agents on that August 2017 trip, just as he had been since his father was sworn in as president six months earlier. The Secret Service frequented several Vancouver hotels: Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel, Pinnacle Hotel Vancouver Harbourfront and Lakeview Inn and Suites. But it spent the most money at the president’s hotel, the Trump International Hotel and Tower Vancouver, according to documents obtained by POLITICO. The Secret Service is required to protect the president’s children, but the tendency of Trump and his family to funnel funds to their own properties has complicated what had been a routine practice. Critics say the Trumps are using the presidency to boost the president’s businesses by forcing the federal government to spend taxpayer money at Trump properties. Congress hasn’t launched a formal investigation into federal spending at Trump properties, but some House Democrats are eyeing it as a future area for congressional examination.”

Anita Kumar, “Why the Secret Service spent thousands at a Trump hotel,” Politico, August 14, 2019 5:22 am