On Tuesday, The New York Times reported that Woody Johnson, the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, is saying President Donald Trump asked him to help get the British Open hosted at the Trump Turnberry, his resort in Scotland.
"The ambassador’s deputy, Lewis A. Lukens, advised him not to do it, warning that it would be an unethical use of the presidency for private gain, these people said," reported Mark Landler, Lara Jakes, and Maggie Haberman. "But Mr. Johnson apparently felt pressured to try. A few weeks later, he raised the idea of Turnberry playing host to the Open with the secretary of state for Scotland, David Mundell."
"In a brief interview last week, Mr. Mundell said it was 'inappropriate' for him to discuss his dealings with Mr. Johnson and referred to a British government statement that said Mr. Johnson 'made no request of Mr. Mundell regarding the British Open or any other sporting event,'" continued the report. "The statement did not address whether the ambassador had broached the issue of Turnberry, which Mr. Trump bought in 2014, but none of the next four Opens are scheduled to be played there."
Trump's Scottish resort became a center of controversy in 2019, when reports revealed that the Air Force was making unexplained refueling diversions to a small airport near the property — which pushed Air Force officials into booking rooms at the Trump resort on the taxpayer's dime.
