Trump's VP Pence goes to Ireland and stays in a Trump resort

[lpetrich]

Pence defends stay at Trump resort in Ireland - POLITICO - "The vice president said Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg was a 'logical' choice."

Pence has been the subject of criticism from Democratic lawmakers for his decision to spend Monday night at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Doonbeg while in Ireland. From Trump Doonbeg, Pence embarked on an hourlong flight Tuesday morning to Dublin to meet Irish President Michael Higgins and Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

Marc Short, Pence’s chief of staff, told reporters earlier Tuesday the vice president was invited, not instructed, by President Donald Trump to stay at his resort and that taxpayers will foot the bill for the lodging.

Why there? Why not in a hotel in Dublin?

 

[starwater]

Oh but 45 would not have benefited from it would he.

 

[James Brown]

About the same distance as if Pence stayed in Pittsburgh, PA in order to attend a meeting in Washington D.C.

Grifters gotta grift.

 

[lpetrich]

Mike Pence stayed at a Trump hotel 180 miles away from his Ireland meetings — for “safety” - Vox - "Pence’s chief of staff said they chose the hotel because the Secret Service was already familiar with it."

The Trump administration has been plagued by accusations of corruption

In the past, US presidents worked to disassociate themselves from any business interests they held that might have led to conflicts of interest or accusations of impropriety. Trump has chosen not to do so.

I recall that Donald Trump campaigned on the premise that his wealth would make him difficult to corrupt, because of him already having plenty. But that has clearly not been the case.

One Democratic lawmaker has a broader take.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Virtually every policy Trump pursues works to steal public money & personally enrich himself & his friends.
Gutting National Monuments pays Fossil Fuel CEOs
Border concentration camps pay Private Prison CEOs
Betsy DeVos pays loan sharks
It’s always about the con. https://t.co/ggINFg52Kw" / Twitter
noting
David Frum on Twitter: "The VP is staying a 3 hour drive from Irish capital, necessitating costly helicopters, all so that his visit to Ireland can put cash in the boss’s pocket. Normal federal employees go to prison for such schemes" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Since corruption isn’t popular policy, racism works as the cover for the con. That’s why addressing racism isn’t a “distraction” - it’s key to understanding the hustle against working people.
Culturally, racism is used as the unspoken cudgel against pro-working class policy. /2" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "For example:
By rallying support for super racist immigration policies, (Muslim Ban, concentration camps,etc), supporters look the other way at the billions of public dollars going to private prison CEOs - who then kick some that back to Trump (ex. his inaugural committee) /3" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "The corruption of Trump - of many admins - wouldn’t be politically possible without relying on sympathy for racist policies.
That’s what Reagan’s Black “welfare queen” was all about, too.
If people think they’re “paying for someone else,” they’ll dismantle their own healthcare." / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Beyond the moral wrong, racism is a powerful political tool used to dismantle public goods & civil rights.
So long as bigoted sympathies exist (subtly or loud), they will be used. That’s why convincing people racism is a sidenote,&not broad or institutional, is a strategic move." / Twitter

Interesting theory. Bigotry as a cover for picking the public pocket. I don't know if that is a deliberate strategy, but even if it isn't, it has that effect.

AOC is not alone:
Ocasio-Cortez rips Pence's stay at Trump resort in Ireland: 'It's always about the con' | TheHill

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) also said Pence is “funneling taxpayer money” to Trump.

The Democratic National Committee tweeted from its “DNC War Room” account, saying, “Your tax dollars: making the Trump family richer,” noting that Trump was also golfing at one of his other properties at the same time."

 

[braces_for_impact]

Look, obviously the devil made him do it. I mean, a fine upstanding Christian man with objective morals would know better right? The same goes with keeping kids in cages, banning people of one religion form entry, hating on people because of their sexual orientation, or thinking less of people because of their gender. This is why Christian morals are superior, right?

 

[laughing dog]

Of the all things going on, why would anyone give a rats' ass where Mike Pence stays?

Perhaps the people of Dublin appreciate his choice.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Of the all things going on, why would anyone give a rats' ass where Mike Pence stays?

Perhaps the people of Dublin appreciate his choice.

It's Trump using his position as President to enrich himself using taxpayer dollars. It's small and petty in terms of corruption, but that doesn't make it less corrupt.

 

[bilby]

Of the all things going on, why would anyone give a rats' ass where Mike Pence stays?

Perhaps the people of Dublin appreciate his choice.

Not if the opinion column of the Irish Times is any guide.

How Mike Pence Shat on the New Carpet in Ireland's Spare Room

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Trump pretty much wrote a check for what, $10ish thousand dollars out of the US Treasury and gave it to himself. It is small peanuts, especially for a "billionaire", but it is corrupt.

 

[lpetrich]

Pelosi's office slams Trump properties after Mike Pence's Ireland stay

According to Pelosi's office, Trump's properties violate the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, allow influence-peddling in government, charge American taxpayers for Trump's golf and Mar-a-Lago visits, exploit undocumented workers, and pose a potential national security risk.

Her office also noted that Trump suggested holding next year's G-7 summit at Trump's golf resort in Doral, Florida.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Did he complain about the bedbugs? (They're called Maga Care Bears in Trumpspeaks.)

 

[lpetrich]

Mike Pence accused of humiliating hosts in Ireland | US news | The Guardian - "The vice-president’s comments on Brexit while visiting Ireland and his stay at his boss’s golf course did not go down well"

She described the impact of the Pence visit on Ireland as “like pulling out all the stops for a much-anticipated visitor to your home and thinking it has been a great success until somebody discovers he shat on the new carpet in the spare room, the one you bought specially for him”.

“As Pence read from the autocue and Irish eyes definitely stopped smiling,” she added, “it was clear he was channeling His Master’s Voice. Trump is a fan of Brexit and of Boris.”

“Pence,” Lord continued, “is Irish American and wastes no opportunity to go misty-eyed about his love for the ‘Old Country’ as he lards on his Mother Machree schtick on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Lord wasn’t alone in her criticism. The Examiner’s political editor, Daniel McConnell, wrote: “The cheek of him coming here, eating our food, clogging up our roads and then having the nerve to humiliate his hosts.”

What a jerk.

Peaceful Iceland amazed at weapons in Pence security detail

US Vice President Mike Pence’s arrival in Iceland with military jets and armed personnel set eyes popping Wednesday in a nation consistently ranked as the world’s most peaceful.

The size and standards of the vice president’s security detail also required adjustments. The guards protecting Pence got backup from a police force that allows only elite “Viking SWAT” members to carry guns.

...
Before Pence’s arrival, US Secret Service personnel spent weeks scouting locations. Icelandic President Gudni Jóhannesson travels unaccompanied on private errands and is often spotted in a geothermal bath popular with locals.

What paranoia.

 

[Worldtraveller]

Mike Pence accused of humiliating hosts in Ireland | US news | The Guardian - "The vice-president’s comments on Brexit while visiting Ireland and his stay at his boss’s golf course did not go down well"

She described the impact of the Pence visit on Ireland as “like pulling out all the stops for a much-anticipated visitor to your home and thinking it has been a great success until somebody discovers he shat on the new carpet in the spare room, the one you bought specially for him”.

“As Pence read from the autocue and Irish eyes definitely stopped smiling,” she added, “it was clear he was channeling His Master’s Voice. Trump is a fan of Brexit and of Boris.”

“Pence,” Lord continued, “is Irish American and wastes no opportunity to go misty-eyed about his love for the ‘Old Country’ as he lards on his Mother Machree schtick on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Lord wasn’t alone in her criticism. The Examiner’s political editor, Daniel McConnell, wrote: “The cheek of him coming here, eating our food, clogging up our roads and then having the nerve to humiliate his hosts.”

What a jerk.

Peaceful Iceland amazed at weapons in Pence security detail

US Vice President Mike Pence’s arrival in Iceland with military jets and armed personnel set eyes popping Wednesday in a nation consistently ranked as the world’s most peaceful.

The size and standards of the vice president’s security detail also required adjustments. The guards protecting Pence got backup from a police force that allows only elite “Viking SWAT” members to carry guns.

...
Before Pence’s arrival, US Secret Service personnel spent weeks scouting locations. Icelandic President Gudni Jóhannesson travels unaccompanied on private errands and is often spotted in a geothermal bath popular with locals.

What paranoia.

They were just making sure that no unaccompanied women were around.

 

[ZiprHead]

Pence trip to Doonbeg cost nearly $600,000 in ground transportation