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Then President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as he leaves a rally in Tucson, Arizona in October 2020.
AFP via Getty Images
Two Republican congresswomen who picked up former President Donald Trump’s endorsement doubled as his customers, a report filed Thursday with the Federal Election Commission shows.
In June, Reps. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) and Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) shared videos of themselves at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, clad in matching Trump polos. The former president stands behind each congressperson, touting his support for their upcoming elections. “I’m with Beth, and we’re all having a good time,” Trump said in his endorsement of Van Duyne. “Claudia is here, a whole group of great congresspeople are here. And I just want you to support Beth.”
The next month, a joint-fundraising committee for the representatives spent $8,000 at one of Trump’s New Jersey golf clubs, according to documents released Thursday and first noted by journalism professor Derek Willis. That bill made up 77% of the committee’s third-quarter expenses.
Spokespeople for Tenney, Van Duyne and the Trump Organization did not immediately reply to inquiries.
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) picked up former President Donald Trump’s endorsement at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in June.
Instagram/Claudia Tenney
Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) traveled to former President Donald Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey golf club in June where she landed his coveted endorsement.
Instagram/Beth Van Duyne
A campaign committee benefitting Reps. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) and Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) spent $8,000 at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey in July
Federal Election Commission/Tenney Van Duyne Victory Fund
I took an unusual route to get here. In a past life, I worked as a travel and food writer, which is how I got the assignment in 2016 to cover the grand opening of the
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I took an unusual route to get here. In a past life, I worked as a travel and food writer, which is how I got the assignment in 2016 to cover the grand opening of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., just a couple miles from my home. When Trump won the election and refused to divest his business, I stayed on the story, starting a newsletter called 1100 Pennsylvania (named after the hotel’s address) and contributed to Vanity Fair, Politico and NBC News. I’m still interested in Trump, but I’ve broadened my focus to follow the money connected to other politicians as well—both Republicans and Democrats.