The Emoluments Clause - Updated

Mike Pence's trip to Ireland is in the news this morning. First, White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere wants us to believe that the fact that the VP and his wife are having lunch with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (who's gay) and his partner proves that the VP isn't anti-gay:

For all of you who still think our @VP is anti-gay, I point you to his and the @SecondLady’s schedule tomorrow where they will join Taoiseach @LeoVaradkar and his partner Dr. Matthew Barrett for lunch in Ireland. 🇮🇪 @merrionstreet pic.twitter.com/Cj5kMpln0U

— Judd Deere (@JuddPDeere45) September 3, 2019

... then people started to question why Pence and his family are staying at a hotel so far away from his meetings in Dublin, which just happens to be owned by the current President of the United States:

While in Ireland, VP Pence is staying in Trump's golf resort. Which is in Doonbeg (red pin).

His official duties are in Dublin, which is literally the opposite side of the country.

Apart from enriching the President, what is the purpose of running up taxpayer costs like this? pic.twitter.com/30QyxI5WXb

— Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) September 3, 2019

two questions for a congressional oversight committee

1) How much will the decision to commute by air between Trump property and Pence's appointments in Dublin cost the taxpayer?

2) How much will the (troubled) Trump property in Ireland be paid by the taxpayer? https://t.co/S1s7CzOHWK

— David Frum (@davidfrum) September 3, 2019

VP’s chief of staff tells reporters it was Trump’s suggestion that Pence stay at his golf resort in Doonbeg in Ireland (on the other side of the country from the capital). Taxpayers still footing the bill though; Trump didn’t offer to pay. Pence flying back and forth to Dublin.

— Kevin Liptak (@Kevinliptakcnn) September 3, 2019

Pence chief @marcshort45 on whether Trump asked Pence to stay at his property in Doonbeg, Ireland — via @costareports, who is doing a terrific job pooling the VP’s trip to Europe pic.twitter.com/utkQ56X6RB

— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) September 3, 2019

How the White House explains Trump’s suggestion that Pence and his team stay at Trump’s Irish golf club (and spend taxpayer dollars there):

"It's like, 'Well, you should stay at my place.' It wasn't like a, 'You must.’ It wasn't like, 'You have to.'” https://t.co/akmXN3OsJi

— Tim O'Brien (@TimOBrien) September 3, 2019

The Secret Service will provide a secure & safe location regardless of where the VP stays. They never take the path of least resistance in their protective model; using the USSS as an excuse, lacking any real security construct, shows a misguided understanding of their mission. https://t.co/j2SPFDpCff

— Jonathan Wackrow (@JDWackrow) September 3, 2019

You don't have to be a constitutional scholar to get why this is an abuse of power, either. Everyone knows you can't use your government job for personal profit. It's simple: Emoluments = Payola. Trump is all about the payola. https://t.co/mYhG5C4knC

— Elizabeth de la Vega (@Delavegalaw) September 3, 2019

Bill Kristol has another idea about why the VP and his family are staying at Donald's hotel:

How worried must Pence be about being dumped from the ticket to go these lengths to spend hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars at a Trump resort? https://t.co/sS9OtkTxSi

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) September 3, 2019

The VP responds: 

VP Pence offers no apologies for staying at Trump golf resort in Doonbeg, Ireland. Says its "deeply humbling" for him to visit "the very hometown of my mother's grandmother." Says the @StateDept approved his stay and the @VP says it was important to him that he stay in Doonbeg. pic.twitter.com/Gm5CZaRwFo

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) September 3, 2019

Update on Wednesday afternoon: Uh oh. Sounds like someone wasn't happy with reporting that said it was Donald who "suggested" the VP and his family stay at his hotel:

New Pence team statement on his Doonbeg stay after hours of controversy over his entourage staying several hours from his Dublin meetings: pic.twitter.com/UFy6XvCQZz

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) September 4, 2019

To be clear, it wasn't Democrats or reporters who said that Donald had suggested Pence stay at his hotel. That information came directly from Pence's chief of staff, as shown in Seung Min Kim's tweet above.

More, from CNN.com:

With fealty to President Donald Trump as his defining political trait, Vice President Mike Pence isn't typically the man in the spotlight. But his latest European jaunt has been marked with unfortunate headlines and questions about how far he's willing to go to please his boss.

...Trump had been irked that he was being blamed for the fallout for Pence's accommodations, sources told CNN, and Pence -- who keeps a close eye on his media coverage -- was also exasperated by the negative attention.

Trump has suggested before that Cabinet officials and advisers stay at his properties while they are traveling. He himself has spent 289 days of his presidency at a Trump property, according to a CNN tally.

A person familiar with the President's thinking explained the pattern as Trump's genuine belief that his locations are the best place for aides to lodge, and makes similar recommendations to his friends who do not work for him.

In the past, however, aides have typically ignored the recommendations, knowing it would result in a firestorm of ethics questions.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, multiple White House officials expressed disbelief that Pence's office thought spending two nights at the Trump International Golf Links & Hotel was good idea.

Pence has made several overseas trips while in office -- and on occasion been sent in the President's stead -- but he has never faced turbulence like in Europe this week. (Read the article here.)