According to a report from HuffPo, Donald Trump Jr's trip to Mongolia last summer ended up costing U.S. taxpayers $77,000 so he could hunt a rare sheep.
Over 40 weeks ago, the son of Donald Trump posted a picture from his trip on Instagram, writing, "Some more pics from my incredible adventure in Mongolia last week! I have a lot more to come from this incredibly pristine land stay tuned. #mongolia #adventure."
In December HuffPo reported, "The rocky highlands of Central Asia, in a remote region of Western Mongolia, are home to a plummeting population of the largest sheep in the world, the argali. The endangered species is beloved for its giant curving horns, which can run over 6 feet in length. On a hunting trip this August, Donald Trump Jr. shot and killed one," before adding, "His adventure was supported by government resources from both the U.S. and Mongolia, which each sent security services to accompany the president's eldest son and grandson on the multi-day trip. It also thrust Trump Jr. directly into the controversial world of Mongolian trophy hunting — a polarizing practice in a country that views the big-horned rams as a national treasure. The right to kill an argali is controlled by an opaque permitting system that experts say is mostly based on money, connections and politics."
In the latest report, HuffPo's Mary Papenfuss revealed that watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington reported on Monday that the trip to kill the endangered animal was on the taxpayer's dime.
"The Secret Service provided documents in March revealing that the agency's cost for Trump's trip to bag a rare argali sheep was more than $17,000. But after additional Freedom of Information Act requests, officials turned over other documents that disclosed an additional $60,000 in spending," Papenfuss wrote.
The report adds, "The trip was arranged through a tourism company owned by a politically connected member of the Mongolian president's party, according to the watchdog group. The company helped Trump obtain a special permit to hunt the argali after he killed the animal."
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