The Trump children kept the ‘free limo’ perks after Trump left office - and it cost taxpayers $1.7m

Even after the departure from the White House, former President Donald Trump had his children rolling in limo luxury—but it cost taxpayers $1.7m.

Before Trump actually did leave office, he had an unusual request—granting six months of extra Secret Service protection to his adult children, as well as top three administrative officials, including former US Secretary of Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, who went to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for non-business related reasons.

On Friday, The Washington Post reported that the requested additional protection amounted to $1.7m.

Even though this only represents a small part of the $2.4bn Secret Service budget, a government overseer said that the charges signified a “moral choice” for the Trump kids who “don’t have a role in government and “whom the agents trailed to ski vacations, weekend houses, a resort in Cabo San Lucas, and business trips abroad.”

Former Secret Service executive Jim Helminski noted that Trump’s decision appeared to indicate the use of “public service as a private benefit to his inner circle.”

“Who wouldn’t enjoy continuing their free limo service and easy access to restaurant tables?” Helminski remarked before noting that they “are now private citizens who can afford to hire some very talented private security firms for their personal protection.”

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter, ‘The Viral Democracy’

Jordan Libowitz, a spokesman for the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, D.C., said that Trump’s children making the most of the perks was a “moral choice” they failed.

He further suggested that because they didn’t write off at least one portion of the Secret Service charges, which would have been “the patriotic thing” to do.

“It is just so easy for them to write off the rooms,” Libowitz said. “And we’re not seeing that.”

Maybe in the future, if the children decide to visit outer space, they will make their vacation spending known.

Check out the full report here.