President Trump’s two eldest sons racked up nearly $250,000 in Secret Service costs during two trips abroad last year tied to the family’s real estate development business, according to documents released Wednesday.
The documents show that during a February 2017 trip to the United Arab Emirates, the Secret Service paid more than $215,000 to protect Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, who were there to open the Trump International Golf Club in Dubai.
That total includes roughly $125,000 spent on airfare, $75,000 on hotel costs and another $18,000 in other expenses, including car and cell phone rentals, according to the documents, which were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).
{mosads}That same month, Eric Trump took a trip to the Dominican Republic as he sought to revive a once-abandoned luxury resort project. Secret Service protection for that visit cost far less than the Dubai trip — about $30,000 for airfare, hotel costs and other expenses, according to CREW.
Critics have argued that the Secret Service protection for Trump’s two adult sons, who took over day-to-day control of the president’s real estate empire when he took office last year, has driven up the agency’s spending and stretched its resources as agents follow them across the globe.
President Trump’s two eldest sons have traveled frequently for their roles in the Trump Organization. Trump Jr., for example, paid an unofficial visit to India in February to promote his family’s real estate projects.
But Trump Jr. has also complained about the round-the-clock presence of Secret Service agents. Last year, he reportedly requested to be removed from the agency’s protection, because he wanted more privacy. That protection was later reactivated.