Trump knows ‘nothing’ about US Air Force stop at his Scotland hotel, but says crew have ‘good taste’
US President Donald Trump has said he knows "nothing" about an Air Force plane landing at an airport near his Turnberry Resort in Scotland, but said the crew who stayed overnight at the hotel do have “good taste.”
Media in the US went wild with the story over the weekend and the Air Force launched a review of how it chooses locations for international layovers following speculation that the US military was being used to boost revenue at the Trump resort.
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
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 9, 2019
In a tweet posted Monday morning, however, Trump said he had “nothing to do with” the stop at Prestwick Airport and knows nothing about the decision to refuel the plane there — or for the crew to spend the night at the luxury golf resort.
“They have good taste!” Trump wrote of the crew members, before adding: “NOTHING TO DO WITH ME.”
The US House Oversight Committee has actually been probing why the crew on the military transport plane made the stop at the Trump resort since April, Politico reported, adding that it is part of a broader investigation into US military expenditures relating to Trump's Scottish property.
Also on rt.com Trump company submits $200mn investment plan for UK golf resort fiercely criticized by localsStopovers at the Scotland airport have tripled since 2015, but it is not known how many of those stops including a stay for crew members at the Trump resort.
In a statement to Politico, an Air Force spokesperson said the use of Prestwick Airport predated Trump's time in office, but acknowledged that the military branch “must still be considerate of perceptions of not being good stewards of taxpayer funds” that could be created by crew staying at Trump hotels.
Prestwick was owned by the Scottish govt and was a U.S. defense contractor during the relevant period. Guardian says Prestwick struck a deal with Trump Turnberry to offer discounted rooms to air crews and, for U.S. personnel, free rounds of golf. /2 https://t.co/nmEBd51yS7
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) September 7, 2019
The US military has reportedly spent $11 million on fuel at the Scottish airport since October 2017 — and revenue was up by $3 million at the financially struggling resort in 2018.
An investigation by the Guardian found that Prestwick Airport had struck a deal with the Turnberry resort to supply cheap rooms and free rounds of golf to visiting US military and civilian air crews.
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