President Donald Trump's golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, earlier this year was shut down due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
However, that didn't stop the president from spending nearly $22,000 there in new billing records uncovered by The Washington Post.
As The Post reports, "Trump's club charged the Secret Service more than $21,800 to rent a cottage and other rooms while the club was closed and otherwise off-limits to guests."
The documents do not give a reason that the Secret Service was staying at the club, although there are reports that first daughter Ivanka Trump spent at least part of Passover weekend at the president's Bedminster property.
What's more, The Post found that staying at the president's properties carries a heavy price tag compared to other options in the area.
"The records show that Trump Bedminster charged the Secret Service $17,000 a month — or $567 per night — to rent the three-bedroom 'Sarazen Cottage' near Trump's own villa," The Post writes. "That rate charged is unusually high for a rental home in the area, according to an analysis of local real estate listings."
"The waste inherent in this is appalling," Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president at the watchdog group Public Citizen, told The Post. "They're nickel-and-diming the American people at a moment when every penny counts."
Looking at the broader picture, The Post has now found that the president's own businesses have charged the government at least $1.1 million for trips to his personal properties since the start of his first term.
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