According to a Politico report Friday night, the House Oversight Committee has for months been investigating why military spending has been increasing at a Scottish airport near President Donald Trump’s Turnberry resort, and why U.S. military personnel are staying at the Trump property on routine trips. But the Sunday political talk shows mostly failed to cover this news, with only CBS’ Face the Nation mentioning the resort in Scotland as part of the context to a larger pattern of Trump using U.S. government business to boost his resort properties.
Sunday shows mostly ignore Trump’s Turnberry corruption
As the House opens an investigation into military spending at a struggling Trump resort, only CBS’ Face the Nation mentioned the scandal
Written by Zachary Pleat
Published
Politico’s September 6 article cited a letter from the House Oversight Committee explaining that “the military has spent $11 million on fuel at the Prestwick Airport — the closest airport to Trump Turnberry — since October 2017, fuel that would be cheaper if purchased at a U.S. military base.” The letter also noted reporting that the airport was providing discounted rooms and free golf at Trump’s resort. Politico also reported on a specific example of an Air National Guard crew rooming at Trump’s Turnberry resort during a stop on its way to deliver supplies in Kuwait. Politico stated these incidents “raise the possibility that the military has helped keep Trump’s Turnberry resort afloat — the property lost $4.5 million in 2017, but revenue went up $3 million in 2018.”
A review of the Sunday news shows NBC's Meet The Press, CBS' Face The Nation, ABC's This Week, Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday, and CNN's State of the Union found that this story was only referenced on Face the Nation, when anchor Margaret Brennan mentioned a congressional investigation that included “properties in Scotland” and Politico reporter Laura Barron-Lopez linked it to other incidents, including Vice President Mike Pence’s stay at a Trump property during an official visit to Ireland (which a Pence aide said Trump suggested) and Trump’s suggestion of his own struggling Doral resort as the site of next year’s G-7 meeting.
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From the September 8 edition of CBS' Face the Nation
MARGARET BRENNAN (ANCHOR): Laura, there were a number of stories regarding controversies surrounding Trump properties, from the vice president staying at one in Ireland, to what we are now looking at with an investigation in Congress, into properties in Scotland. Tell us what we need to know.
LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ (POLITICO): Right, so, the House Judiciary and House Democrats as a whole are expanding their scope, and they want to define very clearly what their impeachment inquiry would look like. And so on top of potential obstruction of justice issues that came out from the Mueller report, they are adding to that by wanting to look into whether or not the president has violated the Emoluments clause, whether or not he’s profiting off of the presidency with stays like Pence’s in Doonbeg in Ireland, as well as the president’s suggestion that the G7 stay in Doral at the Doral resort in Florida next year. And so Democrats want to add those to their impeachment inquiry. And we could see a vote as early as next week on adding this extended scope.