Trump says he knows nothing about Air Force stopover at his Scottish resort
JPMorgan Private Bank investment Specialist Steven Rees on the new 'Volfefe' index that tracks the market impact of President Trump's tweets about interest rates, the outlook for Federal Reserve policy and the state of the markets.
President Trump went on Twitter on Monday to respond to criticism of an Air Force stopover in March that included a stay for crew members at his Turnberry resort in Scotland.
"I know nothing about an Air Force plane landing at an airport (which I do not own and have nothing to do with) near Turnberry Resort (which I do own) in Scotland, and filling up with fuel, with the crew staying overnight at Turnberry (they have good taste!). NOTHING TO DO WITH ME," the president wrote on Twitter.
He also addressed controversy over Vice President Mike Pence's stay at his Irish resort in Doonbeg.
"I had nothing to do with the decision of our great [VP] Mike Pence to stay overnight at one of the Trump owned resorts in Doonbeg, Ireland. Mike's family has lived in Doonbeg for many years, and he thought that during his very busy European visit, he would stop and see his family!" Trump wrote.
The Air Force defended the decision on Saturday, saying Turnberry was "the closest available and least expensive accommodations" for the crew members en route to Kuwait.
"The stopover of a U.S. Air Force C-17 in Glasgow, Scotland is not unusual. Every two and half minutes an Air Force transport aircraft takes off or lands somewhere around the globe," Brig. Gen. Ed Thomas said in a statement. "As our aircrews serve on these international airlift missions, they follow strict guidelines on contracting for hotel accommodations and all expenditures of taxpayer dollars."
Still, the stopover attracted the attention of the Democratic-led House Oversight Commitee, which sent a letter requesting documents to acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan in June.
House Democrats are also investigating Pence's decision to stay at Trump's Doonbeg golf resort, claiming it could have violated the Constitution's emoluments clause.