Mar-a-Lago Club

The White House Used Tax Dollars to Pay for Booze at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago | Eater

"In April 2017 the resort hosted a state visit by China’s president, during which the U.S. president and his advisers entertained the delegation with a surf-and-turf dinner and later private drinks. A subsequent bar tab for those drinks—54 items totaling $838, plus a 20% service charge and sales tax—came to $1,076, and was paid by the White House rather than the State Department. Reporting on the episode emphasizes how federal spending was funneled to the president’s private club, describes efforts to encourage government officials to dine there, and raises questions about potential violations of the Constitution’s domestic Emoluments Clause." - Jaya Saxena