John,

While coronavirus cases surged to record levels over Christmas and New Year’s, then-Vice President Mike Pence went on a ten-day ski vacation in Colorado.

According to documents obtained by CREW via the Freedom of Information Act, Pence’s Secret Service protection alone cost $757,527.85. That’s a massive bill.

To make matters even worse, Pence was the head of the White House coronavirus task force at the time of his travel. That means that while the task force was putting out dire warnings, and the CDC was recommending that Americans stay home over the holidays, Pence ignored the government’s calls, and in the process put dozens of Secret Service agents at heightened risk of infection.

Read more about Mike Pence’s dangerous $750,000 plus ski vacation on CREW’s website here.

Pence’s unnecessary and risky pandemic travel wasn’t even close to a first for the Trump administration. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump ignored stay-at-home orders during April 2020 and traveled to Trump’s Bedminster club, putting Secret Service agents and others at risk, and likely enriching President Trump in the process.

Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, there was enough of a coronavirus problem within the Secret Service that career staff suggested an inspector general investigation into the spread of the virus within the agency. The idea was rejected by the Trump-appointed IG, who also blocked other investigations that could have reflected badly on the Trump administration.

Mike Pence’s $750,000 ski trip, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s Bedminster trip, and the lack of accountability for their roles in the potential spread of coronavirus within the Secret Service show that the problems within the Trump administration were much bigger than just Trump himself.

We’re not ready to move on from the dangerous corruption of the Trump era; only when we know what happened and get some real accountability will the country be able restore faith in government and prevent it all from happening again. If you think that it’s still important for the American people to get an accounting of these types of abuses, consider supporting CREW’s work today with a donation.

Thank you,

Noah Bookbinder
President, CREW

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