U.S. Vice President Mike Pence came under fire Tuesday for staying at President Donald Trump’s golf resort during his official visit to Ireland, despite most of his meetings with Irish leaders taking place more than 200 kilometers (125 miles) away in Dublin.

The vice president’s staff defended the decision, noting that Pence – who is traveling with his mother and sister – has familial ties to Doonbeg, close to the Trump International course. Pence’s European schedule was hastily rearranged, they said…

“We followed normal protocol,” Marc Short, chief of staff to the vice president, told reporters on Tuesday. He added that while Trump had recommended staying at Doonbeg, he didn’t demand it.

Still, Democrats seized on Pence’s decision to stay at Trump’s golf club as the latest example of the president benefiting from taxpayer dollars at his businesses. Trump twice over the weekend visited his golf club in Sterling, Virginia, and last month said he was strongly considering holding next year’s G-7 summit at his Doral golf resort in Miami.