U.S. House Democrats have launched an investigation into VicePresident Mike Pence's stay at a hotel owned by President Donald Trump during avisit to Ireland this week, two committees said on Friday.
Pence drew fire from Democrats when he stayed at the TrumpInternational Golf Club in Doonberg on the west coast of Ireland during hisvisit to the country, though it was 300 kilometers (180 miles) away from hismeetings in the capital, Dublin.
Elijah Cummings, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee,wrote to the White House, Trump Organization, U.S. Secret Service and the VicePresident's Office seeking documents on the visit by Sept. 19.
The letters cite media reports indicating the golf club had beena "problematic investment" for Trump's company and had not beenprofitable in years.
"The Committee does not believe that U.S. taxpayer fundsshould be used to personally enrich President Trump, his family, and hiscompanies," Cummings wrote, saying the stay could be a potential conflictof interest and violate the U.S. Constitution.
Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short, told journalists that Trumphad suggested Pence stay at the property, though Trump said later he had notbeen involved with the decision.
In a separate letter, the chairman of the U.S. House JudiciaryCommittee, Jerrold Nadler, and the chairman of a Judiciary subcommittee, SteveCohen, cited Pence's stay at Trump's Ireland golf club to press for documentsfor their own investigation into the White House's decision to host next year'sGroup of Seven economic summit at his resort in Florida.
Last month during the G7 meeting in France, Trump said hisadministration was considering hosting the summit at his Miami-area golf resortbut insisted he would not personally profit from hosting the event.
Nadler and Cohen said in August they planned to investigate theproposal.
