Two watchdog groups have asked federal agencies to investigate a hunting trip that Donald Trump Jr. made to Mongolia back in August. During the trip, he shot and killed a rare argali sheep, which is listed as endangered and protected without a permit.
According to the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) argali sheep were listed as near threatened species and in 2006 were listed as an endangered species. The sheep are legally protected by the Mongolian Laws on Fauna and Hunting, where hunting the sheep is prohibited.
An animal-protection group that is well known for its legal work protecting endangered species is working with a government watchdog with multiple lawsuits against the Trump administration. The two organizations have filed separate requests that ask four federal agencies to open an investigation as well as produce documents regarding Donald Trump Jr.’s hunting trip that he made to Mongolia back in August.
The Center for Biological Diversity contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about Trump Jr.’s trip stating that it believes that he violated Mongolian laws by killing a rare argali sheep without a permit.
Trump Jr. did not have a hunting permit when he killed the endangered sheep. The Mongolian government retroactively gave Trump a permit on September 2nd after he left the region and had returned to the United States.
The watchdog group “Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington” have requested records seeking information on the trip’s cost to taxpayers.
Trump Jr. stayed in a yurt and was accompanied by several Secret Service agents and a still-unnamed Republican donor.
A spokesperson for Trump Jr. told the media that “Mr. Trump paid for his trip to Mongolia on his own, flew commercial and timely applied for and secured all required permits through a third-party outfitter—as is standard in the industry. As a protectee of the U.S. Secret Service, Mr. Trump has no say in or control over the security protocols that are deemed necessary and appropriate by the Service.”
Trump, Jr. had purchased the seven-day hunting trip to Mongolia during a National Rifle Association charity auction before his father was elected to the White House.
While he was in Mongolia, Trump Jr. met privately with the country’s president, Khaltmaagiin Battulga. It is unknown what the two men talked about and after returning to the U.S. Trump Jr. refused to answer any questions about the private meeting.
