Pence stays at Trump's Doonbeg resort hours away from official meetings

When Vice President Mike Pence woke up Tuesday in the west of Ireland, he had a long commute ahead of him: the span of the entire island to Dublin, where he was meeting with government officials.

The reason for the journey: Pence was staying at the golf property owned by his boss, President Donald Trump, in Doonbeg. That's 181 miles — or an hour's drive plus a 40-minute flight — away from the government buildings where Pence will conduct his official visit on Tuesday.

Pence also happens to have family connections to the tiny Irish village, surrounded by windswept Atlantic coastline and bogland. His great-grandmother was from there, and a distant cousin still owns Morrissey's Pub in town.

But the decision to spend two nights at the President's own hotel is nevertheless drawing outcry from ethics groups and Democrats, who have already questioned government expenditures at Trump's various properties during his presidency.

"While the president is making appearances at his Virginia golf club, the vice president is making appearances at his Ireland golf club. Because the priority is always making Trump money," tweeted Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group. Trump visited his Virginia golf course on Monday, as the southeast United States was preparing for Hurricane Dorian.

Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California, a frequent Trump critic, wrote on Twitter that Pence's decision to stay at the President's hotel was "sooooooo corrupt."

Pence's aides defended the decision to overnight at the Trump International Golf Links & Hotel, saying the plan was approved by the State Department and lower-cost options are always explored. The facility — with a 218-room lodge, a spa and several restaurants — was the only place large enough in remote Doonbeg to house the vice president's traveling entourage, according to Marc Short, his chief of staff.