CREW asks for VA documents on influence of Mar-a-Lago members

News reports and media mentions have indicated that Ike Perlmutter and Dr. Bruce Moskowitz have had significant roles in shaping the affairs and/or direction of critical projects of the VA throughout the tenure of the Trump Administration. For example, in an April 30, 2018 report published by Politico, a “current VA official” was quoted, saying “[w]e just had to make the Mar-a-Lago guys comfortable with the deal…They have someone’s ear. Power and influence are power and influence,” referring to a project that Perlmutter and Moskowitz have had an important role in handling.

CREW requested records of communications that would shed light on the role these private citizens are playing in the affairs of the VA and the extent to which agency decisions are being dictated by informal advisers to the president. Further, the requested records would show how much influence patrons of President Trump’s private club have on public policy.