Mike Pence can explain why he's staying at Trump's resort in Ireland, 180 miles from his official meetings

Maybe for President Trump, the outrage-inducing impunity of making taxpayers subsidize his personal business is the point of his frequent travels to Trump properties. But Vice President Mike Pence presents himself as a paragon of ethical rectitude, so his decision to spend two nights at a Trump resort in Doonbeg, Ireland — an 180-mile plane ride from his official business in Dublin — required a little cleanup.

Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short, went first, telling reporters Tuesday morning that Trump suggested but didn't "command" Pence stay at his Doonbeg resort with his Secret Service detail and entourage. Because Trump has already stayed there recently, "Secret Service can protect us" more easily, he added — an excuse that "prompted some eye rolling in the Secret Service community," as "ex-officials noted that location often has little, if anything, to do with protection," Politico notes.

Nevertheless, Pence cited Secret Service convenience when he explained his stay at Doonbeg to reporters later in the day. He also suggested his reason for staying in Doonbeg at all — visiting distant relatives and his great-grandmother's home — was a crucial part of his official trip to Ireland. "I mean, if you think about the bonds that exist between the Irish people and the American people, they have much to do with shared heritage, they have much to do with family," he said.

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Finally, Pence released a statement calling the media's quoting his chief of staff "misreporting" and clarifying that his office "solely" made the decision to stay at Trump's property, and "at no time did the president direct our office to stay at his Doonbeg resort."

Pence is traveling with his wife, sister, and mother, and he is paying for his sister and mother's travel costs, Short said.