According to reports, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser used city funds to pay for airline flights to attend the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, writing it off as a business opportunity to promote sports and economic development.
While the mayor’s office confirmed the flights were paid for with taxpayer money, they did not disclose the cost.
A spokesperson said Bowser was invited by leaders of a new city task force aiming to revitalize two DC neighborhoods, and that the mayor views any setting as an opportunity to advance administrative interests.
Bowser was invited “to revitalize the Gallery Place and Chinatown neighborhood,” Bowser’s Communications Director Susana Castillo stated.
Castillo noted that “whether it’s here in the city or another city or another country,” Bowser is willing to “advance administrative interests,” no matter where.