WASHINGTON _ Vice President Mike Pence came under fire Tuesday for staying at President Donald Trump's golf resort during his official visit to Ireland, despite most of his meetings with Irish leaders taking place more than 125 miles away in Dublin.
The vice president's staff defended the decision, noting that Pence _ who is traveling with his mother and sister _ has familial ties to Doonbeg, close to the Trump International course. Pence's European schedule was hastily rearranged, they said.
Trump asked Pence to travel in his place to a World War II commemoration ceremony in Warsaw so he could remain home to monitor the response to Hurricane Dorian.
"We followed normal protocol," Marc Short, chief of staff to the vice president, told reporters on Tuesday. He added that while Trump had recommended staying at Doonbeg, he didn't demand it.
Still, Democrats seized on Pence's decision to stay at Trump's golf club as the latest example of the president benefiting from taxpayer dollars at his businesses. Trump twice over the weekend visited his golf club in Sterling, Virginia, and last month said he was strongly considering holding next year's G-7 summit at his Doral golf resort in Miami.
Pence is expected to have a private family dinner Tuesday at Morrissey's, a pub and restaurant owned by a distant cousin, according to local media reports. Pence worked briefly at the pub, which is less than a 10 minute drive from the Trump International course, after graduating college.
Pence on Tuesday will fly an hour back and forth from Shannon to Dublin for meetings with Irish leaders.
