The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is investigating why a five-person crew with the Air National Guard stopped at President Donald Trump’s Turnberry resort as part of a routine trip from the United States to Kuwait to deliver supplies. The committee is investigating why the crew of the C-17 military transport had to stop at Trump’s resort on both legs of the trip, Politico revealed in a story that says it is part of a broader inquiry into Trump’s Scottish property.
It seems particularly odd that the C-17 military transport plane would stop in Glasgow, a place where there were no nearby U.S. bases and dozens of miles away from Turnberry where the crew would be staying. The choice of lodging surprised crew members with one even complaining that their per diem allowance was not enough to cover food and drinks at the fancy resort.
Beyond that isolated stay, the congressional inquiry is looking into why the military has spent $11 million on fuel at Prestwick Airport, which is the closest airport to the Turnberry resort. That fuel would be much cheaper at a U.S. military base. What seems particularly curious is that the airport is losing money and the Scottish government has expressed interest in selling it, a move that could be devastating to Trump’s property. This is not the first time questions have been raised about the use of the airport. Last year, the Guardian reported the airport was being used by the U.S. military and had struck a deal with Turnberry to provide cheaper rooms and free rounds of golf for crew members.
When all these things are considered, there seems to be a real possibility “that the military has helped keep Trump’s Turnberry resort afloat,” reports Politico. After all, Turnberry seems to be doing much better since Trump came into office: “The property lost $4.5 million in 2017, but revenue went up $3 million in 2018.” So far, the Pentagon has yet to reply to any of the inquiries. “The Defense Department has not produced a single document in this investigation,” said a senior Democratic aide.
Rep. Ted Lieu from California wrote in a tweet that the whole thing “smells like corruption.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also shared the story on Twitter along with a simple message: “The President is corrupt and must be impeached.”
