Presidential Security: Vetting of Individuals and Secure Areas at Mar-a-Lago
Released: 2019-02-07T00:00:00


Highlights: section_title: Why GAO Did This Study
paragraphs: The President has made numerous trips to the Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Florida, during which he met with foreign leaders and conducted presidential activities.

GAO was asked to review the establishment of secure areas for use by the President at Mar-a-Lago. This report provides information on, among other things, (1) vetting of individuals expected to be near the President; (2) efforts to establish secure areas for handling classified information; and (3) regulations and processes for agency expenditures on employees who travel with the President. This is a public version of a sensitive report that GAO issued in October 2018. Information that the Secret Service and DOD deemed sensitive has been omitted.

GAO analyzed laws, regulations, policies, and procedures; reviewed agreements between federal agencies and trip after-action reports; and interviewed DOD and Secret Service officials. GAO also reviewed vouchers from the four presidential trips to Mar-a-Lago from February 3, 2017 through March 5, 2017.GAO also reviewed documentation and descriptions of specific security practices with DOD and Secret Service officials. The Executive Office of the President has not responded to requests regarding its role in assisting DOD and the Secret Service in carrying out their responsibilities.

section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: The U.S. Secret Service (Secret Service) vets individuals differently depending on the person's expected proximity to the President when he travels, including during his visits to Mar-a-Lago. According to Secret Service officials, vetting may include using physical screening (measures to detect physical threats to the president and secure the property) and background checks intended to identify individuals who have prior criminal activity or present other types of threats. Individuals at Mar-a-Lago who are not expected to meet with the President or enter spaces the President may visit pass through an outer layer of security consisting of physical screening checkpoints surrounding the property. The Secret Service physically screens all individuals who will access areas where the President will be present, such as a dining room. According to Secret Service officials, individuals who have a meeting with the President generally undergo both physical screening and enhanced background checks.

The Department of Defense (DOD) and the Secret Service coordinate to establish and secure several areas that are suitable for handling classified information when the President travels to Mar-a-Lago. These areas include a conference center, spaces used by staff of the National Security Council and the Executive Office of the President, and presidential transportation vehicles. Details associated with these areas and facilities are sensitive and have been omitted from this report.

The Secret Service and DOD are subject to regulations that govern the reimbursement of employees for official travel expenses. Both organizations have processes to review these travel-related expenses when their personnel travel with the President and try to acquire lodging at the General Services Administration's per diem lodging rate. When the Secret Service is not able to acquire rooms at the per diem lodging rate, including when it needs rooms for operational purposes that exceed 300 percent of the per diem rate (a threshold set by the General Services Administration), employees must submit a waiver request. DOD personnel must also obtain approval when costs exceed the General Services Administration's lodging rate. Our review of DOD vouchers and Secret Service documentation confirmed that personnel did not exceed the 300 percent threshold for lodging during the Mar-a-Lago trips examined in this review. We assessed the costs of Presidential travel in a separate report.

section_title: Letter
paragraphs: The President has made numerous trips to the Mar-a-Lago property in  Palm Beach, Florida. The President has hosted a foreign head of state  and head of government and conducted other presidential  responsibilities, including addressing matters of national concern, while at  Mar-a-Lago, which may render the property a location of potential interest  to foreign actors. Because members of the public are able to mingle with  the President when he is at Mar-a-Lago, members of Congress and  others have raised questions about the protection of classified information  at the property. Questions have also been raised with regard to potential  conflicts of interest that could arise as a result of foreign government  patronage at The Trump Organization’s properties.

You asked us to review issues pertaining to the establishment of secure  areas where classified information can be handled by the President when  he travels to Mar-a-Lago. You also asked us to identify payments made to  the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) that result from foreign  government patronage at The Trump Organization properties. This  report provides information on (1) processes taken to vet individuals who  will be in close proximity to the President when he visits Mar-a-Lago; (2)  processes to provide the President with secure areas for handling  classified and other sensitive information while at Mar-a-Lago; (3)  regulations and processes governing agency expenditures on employee  per diem expenses for travel and operational space for personnel who  travel with the President; and (4) the Treasury’s processes for receiving  payments from The Trump Organization or the President and payments  that the Treasury has received through these processes. This is a public  version of a sensitive GAO report that we issued in October 2018. DOD  and the Secret Service deemed some of the information in our October  report as sensitive, which must be protected from public disclosure.

Therefore, this report omits sensitive information on vetting individuals  and providing secure areas for handling classified information. Although  the information provided in this report is more limited, the report  addresses the same objectives as the sensitive report and uses the same  methodology.

To address our first objective, we analyzed guidance and documents  related to protective operations from the U.S. Secret Service (Secret  Service) and reviewed agreements between federal agencies to identify  the measures that agencies are expected to take to vet individuals during  the President’s domestic trips. We interviewed officials from the Secret  Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to ascertain how they  partner to vet individuals during the President’s trips. We reviewed final  survey reports that summarize security measures and actions taken by  the Secret Service during the President’s four trips to Mar-a-Lago  between February 3, 2017 and March 5, 2017 and other documentation.  A GAO engagement assessing Presidential travel costs selected the first  four trips to Mar-a-Lago after the President’s inauguration, because those  trips were completed shortly before the date of the Congressional request  letter. To stay consistent with concurrent work on Presidential travel  costs, the same time frame was selected. We interviewed officials from  the Secret Service who were tasked with protecting the President to  determine how agreements, policies, and procedures are used to vet  individuals when the President is at Mar-a-Lago.

To address our second objective, we reviewed security-related guidance  from the Secret Service and the Department of Defense (DOD) to  determine the roles that these organizations have in establishing secure  areas that may be used to handle classified information when the  President travels. We also reviewed Office of the Director of National  Intelligence policies and procedures that are to be used when  establishing temporary secure areas, such as those used at Mar-a-Lago,  for handling classified information. We also reviewed the details of  specific security practices for the site with agency officials. We relied on  DOD and Secret Service documentation and descriptions of these  practices. We discussed with DOD officials after-action reports they  prepare to identify vulnerabilities related to information security and steps  that have been taken to address these vulnerabilities. We requested from  DOD the after-action reports examining areas that may have been used  by its personnel, the National Security Council, and the Executive Office  of the President during the President’s trips. DOD officials provided us  with a March 2017 after-action report for the President’s March 3-5, 2017  visit to Mar-a-Lago. We reviewed the report to understand the types of  information included and assessed by DOD. DOD officials stated that  similar reports were developed after each of the President’s February  2017 trips to Mar-a-Lago. In addition, we discussed and reviewed with  Secret Service officials specific security practices at Mar-a-Lago related  to protection of the property, the presidential suite, the dining room, and  public areas, among others. We further reviewed the Secret Service’s  after-action reports for each of the four trips to Mar-a-Lago within our  scope. Each report included specific information on what had occurred  during the trip and identified what security personnel did in securing each  segment of the site. Secret Service personnel made themselves available  to answer our questions regarding the report.

To address our third objective, we reviewed laws, regulations, and  policies to identify the rules and processes governing agency  expenditures on operational spaces and per diem for employees who  accompany the President when he is traveling domestically. We reviewed  documentation about DOD’s and the Secret Service’s travel processes,  such as policies and agency guidance. In addition, we reviewed the  vouchers from the presidential trips to Mar-a-Lago that were completed  between February 3, 2017 and March 5, 2017. We also interviewed  knowledgeable officials from DOD and the Secret Service. We reviewed  relevant policies and spoke with agency officials regarding policies and  processes that are in place for when individuals on travel need to exceed  the General Services Administration per diem rate. We also reviewed  Secret Service documentation regarding waiver requests submitted when  individuals traveling with the President exceeded the General Service’s  Administration per diem rate. In addition to this work, we assessed the  costs of Presidential travel, which we published in a second report in  January 2019.

To address our fourth objective, we reviewed Treasury’s website and  interviewed Treasury officials to identify processes for receiving gifts to  the federal government and gifts to reduce the public debt. To identify  payments received by Treasury from the President or The Trump  Organization that were made through the Treasury’s donation processes,  we reviewed Treasury accounts and interviewed officials to determine if  any payments had been received from January 2017 through August  2018. We also reviewed The Trump Organization’s written policy, which  provides its definition of foreign government patronage, explains how it  will calculate profits from foreign government patronage, and specifies  when The Trump Organization intends to make payments to the Treasury  under this policy. Finally, we interviewed attorneys representing The  Trump Organization.

Additionally, we contacted the White House Counsel’s Office in May 2017  and January 2018 to solicit the perspective of the Executive Office of the  President, including the National Security Council, on efforts to establish  secure areas and vet individuals at Mar-a-Lago and manage costs  associated with personnel traveling with the President, and on any  payments The Trump Organization has made to the U.S. Treasury of  profits realized from foreign government patronage of The Trump  Organization’s properties. As of January 2019, the White House  Counsel’s Office had not responded to our requests for information.

We conducted this performance audit from April 2017 to October 2018 in  accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain  sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our  findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that  the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and  conclusions based on our audit objectives. We subsequently worked with  DOD and the Secret Service, from September 2018 to January 2019 to  prepare this unclassified version of the original sensitive report for public  release. This public version was also prepared in accordance with these  standards.
subsections: section_title: Secret Service has Processes to Vet Individuals Based on Their Expected Proximity to the President
paragraphs: The Secret Service has processes to vet individuals differently depending  on the person’s expected proximity to the President, using a combination  of physical screening and background checks, as illustrated in figure 1.

According to Secret Service officials, physical screening includes the use  of equipment such as wands and magnetometers to secure the property.  Background checks assess in part whether an individual has a history of  criminal activity. In some cases, enhanced background checks identify  other types of threats.

The Secret Service develops and executes a security plan to ensure that  the outer, middle, and inner layers at the travel location are secure.  Officials from the Secret Service confirmed that agency policies aim to  provide comprehensive planning guidance for their agents’ activities but  are not meant to be all inclusive.

Outer Layer: The Secret Service uses physical screening measures  to establish a layer of security around the Mar-a-Lago property.  According to Secret Service officials, state and local law enforcement  and the U.S. Coast Guard may monitor entry onto the property or  perform visual checks of individuals entering the property and  surrounding waterways. Depending on where the President is, guests  may be required to pass through a physical security checkpoint that  employs magnetometers, wands, and visual checks to assess  physical threats.

Middle Layer: Officials from the Secret Service said that they use  physical screening measures for individuals and any rooms that the  President may access during his visit. Officials told us that if they are  notified of the President’s planned arrival to a specific room, they will  secure that room.

Inner Layer: In advance of the President’s arrival, the Secret Service  has a process requiring vetting of individuals who are expected to be  within close proximity to the President for a planned purpose or in  certain secure areas. According to Secret Service officials, individuals  who need access to secure areas but who are not expected to interact  directly with the President, such as wait staff and other workers, are to  undergo a background check in addition to physical screening.  Individuals who are expected to meet the President are to undergo a  background check and an enhanced background check. Officials from  the Secret Service said that they are responsible for collecting the  findings from these checks and making recommendations to the  Executive Office of the President on whether individuals with  derogatory findings should be allowed to access a space. According  to officials from the Secret Service, staff at Mar-a-Lago routinely  undergo background checks.

In order to conduct the background check, the Secret Service is to use  personally identifiable information for each individual, and those  Individuals’ names may be checked against indexes maintained by the  Secret Service and other federal, state, and local law enforcement  organizations. The Secret Service’s guidance notes that submission of  the requested information to run a background check is based on  individuals voluntarily providing the needed information. In order to  conduct an enhanced background check, the Secret Service collaborates  with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other federal agency  partners. According to officials from the Secret Service, the Executive  Office of the President is responsible for identifying individuals who are  expected to meet with the President and providing the Secret Service with  the names and the personally identifiable information needed to complete  these checks.

According to Secret Service guidance, White House staff is expected to  submit all names to the Secret Service at least 72 hours in advance of the  President’s arrival. Advance agents are also responsible for setting  deadlines for completing background checks. Officials from the Secret  Service said that, based on the information received from these checks,  the Secret Service will make a recommendation to the Executive Office of  the President on whether an individual should be granted access to the  President. According to these officials, the Executive Office of the  President ultimately determines whether or not an individual will have  access. However, the Secret Service is responsible for ensuring that the  area is safe and that the individual is physically screened.

section_title: DOD and the Secret Service Provide Secure Areas for the Handling of Classified Information When the President Travels to Mar-a-Lago
paragraphs: DOD’s White House Communications Agency and the Secret Service  each have specific responsibilities for establishing secure  communications and secure areas for handling classified information  when the President travels to domestic locations, such as Mar-a-Lago.

DOD’s White House Communications Agency: This organization is  an information technology unit within DOD that supports the President  and his staff during presidential trips. This organization’s mission is to  provide information services to the President, Vice President, National  Security Staff, Secret Service, and others when directed. According  to agency guidance and officials, the White House Communications  Agency is responsible for installing secure communications equipment  that enables the exchange of classified information in areas that may  be used by these entities.

Secret Service: According to officials from the Secret Service, they  send an advance team that coordinates with the White House  Communications Agency to set up a conference center for the  President where classified information may be exchanged, among  other things. These officials stated that they provide security at the  entrance of this conference center and perform security sweeps to  ensure that it is safe and secure.

DOD and the Secret Service coordinate to establish and secure several  areas that are available for handling classified information when the  President travels to locations such as Mar-a-Lago, as shown in figure 2.  These areas include a conference center, spaces used by staff of the  National Security Council and Executive Office of the President, and  presidential transportation vehicles. Details associated with these areas  and facilities are sensitive and have been omitted from this report.

section_title: Regulations and Processes Governing Secret Service and DOD Expenditures on Employee Per Diem Expenses for Travel and Operational Space in Support of the President
paragraphs: The Secret Service and DOD are subject to regulations governing  reimbursements to employees for official travel. Processes exist to review  these travel-related expenses when personnel from these agencies  travel. These processes are the same when personnel accompany the  President to Mar-a-Lago.
subsections: section_title: Federal Regulations Govern Agencies’ Policies for Paying Or Reimbursing Employees’ Official Duty Travel Expenses
paragraphs: Two regulations implement statutory requirements and executive branch  policies for travel, allowing agencies to pay for or reimburse their  employees’ per diem expenses (lodging, meals and incidental expenses)  and other travel-related expenses:

The Federal Travel Regulation (FTR), issued by the General  Services Administration applies to the Secret Service’s personnel.

The Joint Travel Regulations (JTR), issued by the Department of  Defense apply to DOD personnel.

Both regulations allow agencies to pay for employees’ daily expenses  when they are traveling within the continental United States, based on  allowances set by the General Services Administration for the applicable  location and date (per diem rates) or the actual expense of travel. Under  the Federal Travel Regulation, the maximum amount that a civilian  employee may be reimbursed is 300 percent of the applicable per diem  rate. The Joint Travel Regulations allow uniformed service members to  be reimbursed up to 300 percent of the per diem rate when they are  traveling in the continental United States, but they can be reimbursed  more than 300 percent of the per diem rate for lodging when traveling  outside the continental United States.

section_title: The Secret Service Has a Standard Process for Overseeing Costs for Lodging, Meals and Incidental Expenses, and Operational Space during Presidential Travel
paragraphs: Officials from the Secret Service stated that they apply the same cost  oversight processes for all presidential travel. Expenses for lodging and  operational space are centrally billed to the agency, and employee meals  and incidental expenses are reimbursed to the traveler. In accordance  with policy, the Secret Service tries to acquire lodging at the General  Services Administration’s per diem lodging rate and must submit a waiver  request for any room that exceeds this designated rate by any amount.  The Secret Service field office closest to the travel destination is  responsible for arranging for these spaces, negotiating rates, and if  necessary submitting a waiver request to officials in the Secret Service’s  Logistics Resource Center. The Logistics Resource Center is to review  the waiver request, determine whether a more cost effective method  exists to meet the need, and approve or reject the request.

In some cases, the Secret Service may not be able to acquire rooms at  the per diem lodging rate, or agents may need rooms for operational  purposes that exceed 300 percent of the per diem rate, which is more than is allowed for lodging under the Federal Travel Regulation. For  example, the Secret Service may use a room for operational purposes or  reserve rooms adjacent to the President to better protect him. In addition,  to meet operational demands, the Secret Service may require a certain  number of agents to stay at the hotel in which the President is staying, so  that they are within a certain proximity of the President at all times.  Furthermore, officials from the Secret Service said that members of the  Secret Service canine teams must stay at hotels that allow animals, and  rooms at these hotels may exceed the General Services Administration  lodging rate.

The authorities the Secret Service has relied on to pay for hotel rooms  needed to meet its operational requirements do not limit how much the  agency can pay. Further, Congress passed a law in May of 2017  excepting the Secret Service from regulatory caps on room rentals,  regardless of room purpose. Nevertheless, consistent with the Secret  Service waiver process, personnel are still required to submit waiver  requests for operational spaces to justify the need to book rooms during  the President’s trips to Mar-a-Lago at prices higher than the General  Service Administration lodging rates. We confirmed that a blanket waiver  request was submitted and approved for all rooms at Mar-a-Lago that  exceeded the General Services Administration per diem lodging rate  during the President’s trips to Mar-a-Lago that are covered by this  review. Additionally, we reviewed Secret Service documentation and confirmed that Secret Service personnel did not exceed the 300 percent  threshold for lodging.

For meals and incidental expenses, the Secret Service’s employees who  are on official duty are to submit a claim for reimbursement electronically  or by paper and receipts, as applicable, at the conclusion of the trip.  Approving officials are to approve (or deny) expenses, and the Secret  Service’s Financial Management Division authorizes reimbursement for  approved travel.

section_title: DOD Has a Standard Process to Oversee Costs for Lodging, Meals and Incidental Expenses, and Operational Space during Presidential Travel To Mar- A-Lago
paragraphs: DOD personnel use the same processes for travel to Mar-a-Lago as they  do for other Presidential trips to oversee costs for lodging, meals, and  incidental expenses. According to officials from DOD’s Defense Travel  Management Office, their office establishes travel policy that applies to  the four organizations that travel in support of the President’s trips. DOD  personnel use the Defense Travel System to submit travel documents,  including vouchers and receipts, as applicable. According to officials,  lodging may be booked and reimbursed on an individual basis or centrally  billed if a block of rooms is needed over the same period. Meals and  incidental expenses are reimbursed to the traveler. Like Secret Service’s  personnel, DOD personnel must obtain approval from an authorizing  official prior to the trip to exceed the General Services Administration per  diem lodging rate, consistent with the Federal Travel Regulation and Joint  Travel Regulations. According to officials from the Defense Travel  Management Office, DOD typically would not reimburse expenses above  the approved lodging rate if lodging at the approved rate was available  within the region. However, officials from the Defense Finance and  Accounting Service indicated that presidential trips may require such a  deviation. These approvals are to be tracked in the Defense Travel  System.

The White House Military Office, which includes the White House  Communications Agency, also sends personnel with the President when  he travels. White House Communications Agency officials told us that its  lodging and operational space for these personnel are typically  coordinated by the White House Travel Office and that DOD personnel  pay for the associated costs and seek reimbursement from DOD after the  trip is complete.

According to officials from the White House Communications Agency,  some personnel are required to remain at, or near, the Mar-a-Lago  property. If they are not required to stay at or near the property, they will  try to obtain lodging at hotels in the area at the General Services  Administration’s per diem rate for lodging. DOD officials told us that  according to the Joint Travel Regulations, DOD is not authorized to pay or  reimburse daily expenses above the 300 percent ceiling. In connection  with the President’s travel to Mar-a-Lago between February 3, 2017 and  March 5, 2017, DOD personnel exceeded the General Services  Administration per diem rate but did not exceed the 300 percent  threshold.

According to officials from the Defense Travel Management Office,  operational space used for official business is governed by the Federal  Acquisition Regulation. White House Communications Agency officials  told us that they have generally used space near the Mar-a-Lago property  but leased property, effective September 2017, near Mar-a-Lago to  reduce the cost of supporting the President’s trips to the property.

section_title: Payments Received by the U.S. Treasury Department from The Trump Organization through Treasury’s Donation Processes
paragraphs: Treasury has regular processes for receiving payments designated as  gifts to the United States and gifts to reduce the public debt. Treasury  officials stated that any payments received from The Trump Organization  or the President that are designated as gifts would be handled using  these processes. Under federal law, Treasury may receive general gifts to  the U.S. Government and may also receive gifts to reduce the public  debt. Treasury has developed processes to accept these types of  payments, as shown in figure 3.

Treasury officials said there are three accounts available to receive  payments as gifts—a general gift account, a general fund receipts  account, and an account for gifts to reduce the public debt. Any of these  accounts could receive payments designated as gifts by the President or  The Trump Organization. Treasury officials told us they would deposit  such payments into the account for gifts to the U.S. Government unless  the payment source specified that the funds should be used to reduce the  public debt.

Treasury received one payment from The Trump Organization, for  $151,470 that was submitted through Treasury’s processes on February  22, 2018. In May 2017, The Trump Organization issued a policy  addressing profits generated from foreign government patronage at its  businesses. The Trump Organization’s policy states that it will make a  single lump-sum payment annually after the end of its fiscal year, which  ends on December 31st. We did not identify any other payments that  Treasury received from The Trump Organization or the President  between January 21, 2017, and August 1, 2018.  In September 2018,  an attorney for The Trump Organization confirmed that the organization  had not made any payments since February 22, 2018.

section_title: Agency Comments and Our Evaluation
paragraphs: We provided copies of this draft report to DOD, DHS, the Department of  Justice, the General Services Administration, the Department of Treasury,  and the Executive Office of the President for comment. We also provided  a section to the Trump Organization for comment.  DHS provided written  comments, which are reprinted in their entirety in appendix I. DHS, DOD,  the Department of Treasury and the Department of Justice also provided  technical comments, which we incorporated into this report as  appropriate. The Executive Office of the President and the Trump  Organization provided no comments.

As agreed with your offices, unless you publicly release this report earlier,  we will not issue the report until 30 days from the report date. At that time,  we will also provide copies to the Secretary of Defense, the Director of  the Secret Service, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Attorney  General, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the  Administrator of the General Services Administration, and the Secretary  of the Treasury. In addition, this report will be available at no charge on  the GAO website at www.gao.gov.

If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please contact  Joseph (Joe) Kirschbaum at (202) 512-9971 or at KirschbaumJ@gao.gov  or Diana Maurer at (202) 512-9627 or at MaurerD@gao.gov. Contact  points for our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may  be found on the last page of this report. GAO staff who made key  contributions to this report are listed in Appendix II.

section_title: Appendix I: Comments from the Department of Homeland Security

section_title: Appendix II: GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments
subsections: section_title: Staff Acknowledgments:
paragraphs: In addition to the contacts named above, Gina R. Hoffman, Assistant  Director; Joseph P. Cruz, Assistant Director; Tracy Barnes, Nicholas  Benne, Jennifer Kamara, Joanne Landesman, Amie Lesser, Thomas  Lombardi, Carol Petersen, Michael Silver, Janet Temko-Blinder,  Christopher Turner, Kayli Westling, and Alex Winograd made key  contributions to this report.

Fast facts: The President has made numerous trips to his Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Florida, where he has hosted foreign leaders and conducted other presidential duties.

We reviewed several aspects of security and expenses for personnel traveling with the President. We found that

Secret Service has processes to vet and physically screen visitors

Secret Service personnel coordinated with Department of Defense personnel to establish secure areas that could be used to handle classified information

Both Secret Service and Department of Defense personnel adhered to federal travel regulations and did not exceed the allowable rate for lodging

Question-summary annotations: questions: question: Why does the Secret Service vet individuals differently?
answer: The U.S. Secret Service (Secret Service) vets individuals differently depending on the person's expected proximity to the President when he travels, including during his visits to Mar-a-Lago.

question: What happens during the vetting process?
answer: According to Secret Service officials, vetting may include using physical screening (measures to detect physical threats to the president and secure the property) and background checks intended to identify individuals who have prior criminal activity or present other types of threats.

question: What happens to individuals in Mar-a-Lago who are not expected to meet with the President?
answer: Individuals at Mar-a-Lago who are not expected to meet with the President or enter spaces the President may visit pass through an outer layer of security consisting of physical screening checkpoints surrounding the property.
child_questions: question: What happens to individuals who do access areas where the President will be present?
answer: The Secret Service physically screens all individuals who will access areas where the President will be present, such as a dining room. According to Secret Service officials, individuals who have a meeting with the President generally undergo both physical screening and enhanced background checks.

questions: question: What do the DOD and the Secret Service coordinate to handle?
answer: The Department of Defense (DOD) and the Secret Service coordinate to establish and secure several areas that are suitable for handling classified information when the President travels to Mar-a-Lago.
child_questions: question: What are these areas?
answer: These areas include a conference center, spaces used by staff of the National Security Council and the Executive Office of the President, and presidential transportation vehicles.

question: Can these details be accessed?
answer: Details associated with these areas and facilities are sensitive and have been omitted from this report.

questions: question: How do the Secret Service and the DOD handle travel reimbursements?
answer: The Secret Service and DOD are subject to regulations that govern the reimbursement of employees for official travel expenses.
child_questions: question: What must they do to get their travel-related expenses reviewed?
answer: Both organizations have processes to review these travel-related expenses when their personnel travel with the President and try to acquire lodging at the General Services Administration's per diem lodging rate.

question: What happens if their travel plans are not feasible?
answer: When the Secret Service is not able to acquire rooms at the per diem lodging rate, including when it needs rooms for operational purposes that exceed 300 percent of the per diem rate (a threshold set by the General Services Administration), employees must submit a waiver request.
child_questions: question: What if the travel costs exceed the maximum amount?
answer: DOD personnel must also obtain approval when costs exceed the General Services Administration's lodging rate. Our review of DOD vouchers and Secret Service documentation confirmed that personnel did not exceed the 300 percent threshold for lodging during the Mar-a-Lago trips examined in this review.

questions: question: What was GAO asked to review?
answer: GAO was asked to review the establishment of secure areas for use by the President at Mar-a-Lago.

question: What does this report provide information on?
answer: This report provides information on, among other things, (1) vetting of individuals expected to be near the President; (2) efforts to establish secure areas for handling classified information; and (3) regulations and processes for agency expenditures on employees who travel with the President.
child_questions: question: How has this report been modified from its original state?
answer: This is a public version of a sensitive report that GAO issued in October 2018.

questions: question: What did GAO do to get information for the report?
answer: GAO analyzed laws, regulations, policies, and procedures; reviewed agreements between federal agencies and trip after-action reports; and interviewed DOD and Secret Service officials.
child_questions: question: What other information did GAO get for the report?
answer: GAO also reviewed vouchers from the four presidential trips to Mar-a-Lago from February 3, 2017 through March 5, 2017.GAO also reviewed documentation and descriptions of specific security practices with DOD and Secret Service officials.

question: What has the Executive Office of the President said about its role in assisting DOD and the Secret Service?
answer: The Executive Office of the President has not responded to requests regarding its role in assisting DOD and the Secret Service in carrying out their responsibilities.