A government transparency group vowed on Friday to continue a court battle to open up visitor logs at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, after the administration provided only the names of Japanese staff who attended a February visit from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, one of three government transparency groups that sued the Department of Homeland Security for the information, obtained and released the records on Friday.
The Justice Department said in a letter to CREW that the records were responsive to the group’s request under the Freedom of Information Act. “The government seriously misrepresented their intentions to both us and the court,” CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said in a statement. “This was spitting in the eye of transparency. We will be fighting this in court.”
CREW and other ethics specialists have criticized Trump for not divesting from his business holdings -- including Mar-a-Lago and other properties he visits -- saying they provide an avenue for those seeking influence to curry the president’s favor.
This kind of arrogance on the part of Trump and his businesses will ultimately only bring more heat in their direction.
And that last part is becoming a real issue now that we are learning just how much Trump himself is benefiting financially from using Mar-a-Lago as his "winter White House."
Courtesy of WaPo:
On a weekend in early March, during one of seven trips by Trump and his White House entourage to the posh Palm Beach property since the inauguration, the government paid the Trump-owned club to reserve at least one bedroom for two nights.
The charge, according to a newly disclosed receipt reviewed by The Washington Post, was $1,092.
The amount was based on a per-night price of $546, which, according to the bill, was Mar-a-Lago’s “rack rate,” the hotel industry term for a standard, non-discounted price.
The receipt, which was obtained in recent days by the transparency advocacy group Property of the People and verified by The Post, offers one of the first concrete signs that Trump’s use of Mar-a-Lago as the “Winter White House” has resulted in taxpayer funds flowing directly into the coffers of his private business.
I am very hopeful that these groups really turn the screws on Trump and bring transparency to what is now perhaps the most secretive administration since Richard Nixon's.
He signed the unanimous resolution sent to him by Congress condemning racism and bigotry but attached a signing statement to it where he once again blames "all sides". He is such a piece of shit.
ReplyDeleteAll Piece$ of $hit>
Delete"Senate Republicans are trying to push through a bill that would harm at minimum 162 million Americans. Whether you get your health insurance from your employer, the exchanges, Medicaid, or your parents, Graham-Cassidy is a threat to your health care."
http://www.politicususa.com/2017/09/16/republicans-repeal-obamacare-stop.html
Interesting Panel talk:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rawstory.com/2017/09/watch-project-runways-tim-gunn-tells-maher-hilarious-story-about-walking-in-on-cross-dressing-j-edgar-hoover/
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/09/watch-atheists-narrate-hilarious-tour-of-kentuckys-ark-encounter/
DeleteTr**p is a criminal, a thief and robber, a swindler, a small-time crook, no more, no less. He is a sex pervert, a licentious dirty old man, a peeping tom who thrills in looking at very young girls while they are dressing; in other words, an unindicted unconvicted sex offender. He is an unrepentant racist, a blatant bigot, a white supremacist, a suit wearing kkklansman. He is an unprincipled misogynist, an uncaring unaware malevolent narcissist.
ReplyDeleteThose are all his good points, his most positive traits. He has no moral core, no moral fiber, not even a tidbit of a conscience. Were he not cloaked in the protection of white monied privilege, he would be in somebody's jail.
#LockHimUp
Marguerite Hill
South Georgia recovering from Hurricane Irma
I'd vote for Nixon in a heartbeat over that SOB Trump.
ReplyDeleteAt least Nixon was smart and knowledgeable about history, allies and countries! Trump is so far behind the eight ball it's not even funny!
DeleteThe Trump administration said they would not release visitor records to the White House. Why would anyone expect transparency of visitors at Mar A Lago? When key players blatantly lie on security clearance forms why would they divulge who comes and goes?
ReplyDeleteThey should add that New Jersey club too.
ReplyDeleteDid u see where the guy he put in charge of the Office of Government (Non) Ethics has changed the rules and is now allowing government employees to accept anonymous donations to their legal funds for any amount? No problems should arise from that. It's not like the lobbiests making the anonymous donations would want anything in return.
ReplyDelete