--- title: Mar-a-Lago: Group Files Complaint to State Department description: Common Cause filed a complaint one day after State Department posted an article promoting Mar-a-Lago as the "winter White House" canonical: https://time.com/4755004/common-cause-state-department-mar-a-lago/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-04-25T22:01:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T04:36:07.618Z article:section: Politics og:title: Group Files Complaint Over State Department Websites Promoting Mar-a-Lago og:description: The articles promoted President Trump's private club og:url: https://time.com/4755004/common-cause-state-department-mar-a-lago/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8f9a4ceb51abab3a/6988bf38fb4eac75c3891313/gettyimages-643943498.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Getty Images og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Group Files Complaint Over State Department Websites Promoting Mar-a-Lago twitter:description: The articles promoted President Trump's private club twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8f9a4ceb51abab3a/6988bf38fb4eac75c3891313/gettyimages-643943498.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watchdog Group Files Complaint Over State Department Websites Promoting Mar-a-Lago > Sponsored content. 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There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=3b8db11b-cf0e-4d2c-8438-fcd95d973f16&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Apr 25, 2017 10:01 PM UTC  Mar-a-Lago Mar-a-Lago Getty Images  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Apr 25, 2017 10:01 PM UTC The grassroots organization Common Cause filed a complaint with the office of Government Ethics and the State Department, one day after the latter [posted an article on its website](http://time.com/4753372/mar-a-lago-promotion/) promoting President Trump’s private [Mar-a-Lago estate](http://time.com/4669323/mar-a-ago-winter-white-house-pictures-photos/) as the “winter White House.” The complaint calls on both departments to conduct an investigation into the incident, and to hold those responsible accountable, arguing it was a “clear misuse and abuse of taxpayer funds.” “This administration’s refusal to set clear boundaries between the business of the American people and the businesses of [Donald Trump](http://time.com/4754557/trump-100-days-fdr-roosevelt-executive-orders-incorrect/) has metastasized into the federal agencies,” Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn said in a statement. **READ MORE:** [At Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump Blends Pleasure, Profit and Politics](http://time.com/4672984/donald-trump-mar-a-lago/?iid=sr-link2) On Monday, Share America, a website the [State Department](http://time.com/4717350/state-department-false-statements-fbi/) manages, had a blog post describing the history of Mar-a-Lago, and Trump’s current presidential activity there, referring to it as the “winter White House.” Trump bought the [Palm Beach](http://time.com/money/4703151/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-costs-taxpayers-palm-beach/) estate over two decades ago and membership to the club costs about $200,000\. The post was removed after the State Department faced scrutiny for praising Trump’s private property. This isn’t the only controversy surrounding Mar-A-Lago, where Trump has chosen to spend a majority of his weekends since he was inaugurated. Last month, three Florida lawmakers [asked the White House](http://time.com/4714994/president-donald-trump-mar-a-lago-palm-beach-reimburse/?iid=sr-link6) to reimburse the greater Palm Beach for the costs incurred by these frequent visits. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4755004/common-cause-state-department-mar-a-lago/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4755004/common-cause-state-department-mar-a-lago/"},"headline":"Watchdog Group Files Complaint Over State Department Websites Promoting Mar-a-Lago","datePublished":"2017-04-25T22:01:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T04:36:07.618Z","description":"The complaint argues the Mar-a-Lago promotion was a \"clear misuse and abuse of taxpayer funds\"","url":"https://time.com/4755004/common-cause-state-department-mar-a-lago/","keywords":["State Department","White House","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8f9a4ceb51abab3a/6988bf38fb4eac75c3891313/gettyimages-643943498.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alana Abramson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8f9a4ceb51abab3a/6988bf38fb4eac75c3891313/gettyimages-643943498.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Getty Images","caption":"Mar-a-Lago","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/state-department/","name":"State Department"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4755004/common-cause-state-department-mar-a-lago/","name":"Watchdog Group Files Complaint Over State Department Websites Promoting Mar-a-Lago"}}]}] ```