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EXCL: Woody Johnson, the billionaire US ambassador to the UK, spent more than £1,000 on golf and dinner in a single day during a three-night stay at Donald Trump’s Scottish resort - and American taxpayers picked up the bill. My @TheScotsman story: https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/exclusive-taxpayers-pick-tab-billionaire-us-ambassadors-stay-donald-trumps-scottish-resort-2996147">https://www.scotsman.com/news/poli...
If you& #39;re unaware of the ties between Trump and his extraordinarily wealthy ambassador to the UK, here& #39;s an accompanying article detailing their longstanding social connections. It includes a wig-themed birthday party. Forewarned is forearmed etc. https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/billionaire-bffs-conflicts-interest-surrounding-donald-trump-and-his-british-ambassador-2996230">https://www.scotsman.com/news/poli...
Folk in the US may not be aware how Trump& #39;s Turnberry resort has discovered a rich new seam of revenue during his presidency. So here& #39;s a recap of how his flagship Scottish property is reaping plenty of US taxpayer dollars - while still running at a loss: https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/public-office-and-private-interests-ambassador-trip-highlights-tension-between-donald-trumps-presidency-and-his-turnberry-resort-2996246">https://www.scotsman.com/news/poli...
The details of Woody Johnson& #39;s wee trip to Turnberry reached me via the fine folk at @weareoversight, who do sterling work with FOIA and lawsuits to obtain something that& #39;s proven elusive in the past four years - the truth. Give them a follow, and look into their work.
So sure, the sums involved here - £1,143 - aren& #39;t major. But the receipts for Johnson& #39;s stay at Turnberry cover just one day, and he stayed at Trump& #39;s resort for three nights. And the bill doesn& #39;t include the accommodation costs. The ambassador and his wife rented two rooms.
£1,143 might be a lot to you. It is to me. How would billionaires characterise it? Pocket change? For me, the key to this story is the transactional arrogance - a billionaire ambassador billing the US public for his stay at a billionaire president& #39;s heavily-indebted resort.
But don& #39;t let the sums involved obscure other issues at play. Trump was in the UK on a working visit, but his stay at Turnberry - when Johnson joined him - was described as a "private visit." While there, Trump played two rounds of golf, and took in a World Cup football match.
As my prolific Twitter pal @waltshaub points out, how could this be classified as official travel on the part of a US ambassador if the president was on a private visit to his own resort? https://twitter.com/waltshaub/status/1313953133807235074?s=20">https://twitter.com/waltshaub...
Anyway, back to Ambassador Johnson. Here& #39;s the one-page receipt detailing his expenditure on *one day* of his stay at Trump& #39;s property. Isn& #39;t & #39;golf retail& #39; a deliciously ambiguous phrase?
I asked the US embassy in London a series of questions in recent days, including why Ambassador Johnson stayed at Turnberry longer than Trump himself; why the receipt accounts for just one day of his trip; and whether he repaid any of the itemised expenditure.
A spokesman for the US embassy replied: “Ambassador Johnson has complied with all US government travel regulations.” I’ve asked to see those regulations and how they pertain to Mr Johnson’s trip. I’m still waiting.
While I& #39;m waiting, it& #39;s worth highlighting other potential conflicts of interest involving Trump and his ambassador, who& #39;s an heir to the big pharma fortune of Johnson & Johnson, the firm which received $1bn from the Trump admin for 100m doses of its potential Covid-19 vaccine.
It was only three months ago - yeah, I know, it feels like three decades - but do you remember this @nytimes report alleging how Trump asked Ambassador Johnson to help secure the lucrative Open championship for his loss-making Turnberry resort? https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/21/world/europe/trump-british-open.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/2...
Or perhaps you recall the concise report by the brill @Z_Everson, detailing how Ambassador Johnson& #39;s NFL team held a golf outing at Trump& #39;s NJ resort?: https://1100pennsylvania.substack.com/p/us-ambassador-to-britains-nfl-team">https://1100pennsylvania.substack.com/p/us-amba...
The Trump presidency is, in part, a story about the tension between public office & private interests. IMO, Ambassador Johnson& #39;s stay at Turnberry - though relatively insignificant monetarily - is a stark example. It& #39;s about ordinary folk picking up the bill for billionaires.
Thanks for reading, and if you& #39;re so inclined, please support my reporting by subscribing to @TheScotsman from just £3 a month. It& #39;s increasingly challenging to find the time and resources to pursue investigative reporting. But I can& #39;t do anything else. http://bit.ly/3cZaoC2 ">https://bit.ly/3cZaoC2&q...
