President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago New Year's Eve Party (Photo: Screen capture)
A congressional investigation found three members of Donald Trump's private club Mar-A-Lago illegally exerted influence over the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The so-called "Mar-A-Lago Three" -- Ike Perlmutter, Marc Sherman and Bruce Moskowitz -- used their ties to then-president Trump to violate the Federal Advisory Committee Act by communicating with department officials to further their own personal interests, reported Stars and Stripes correspondent Nikki Wentling.
"The documents we are releasing today shed light on the secret role the Trio played in developing VA initiatives and programs, including a 'highly profitable' plan to monetize veterans' medical records," wrote investigators from the House Oversight Committee and the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
The Government Accountability Office previously reviewed 223 email exchanges the Trump associates had with VA officials between 2016 and 2018 and found they made recommendations in 28 of those messages and provided information about other initiatives in 70 others.
Perlmutter is chairman of Marvel Entertainment, while Sherman is an attorney and Moskowitz is a Palm Beach physician, and none of the men has any previous experience in veterans' affairs.
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