Mar-a-Lago Crowd

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The Mar-a-Lago Crowd, also called the Mar-a-Lago Three, was an informal group linked to President Donald Trump that helped shape Veterans Affairs policy during his first term. The three members were not government officials; they were all members of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club.

Origins: The group started in 2016 when Ike Perlmutter offered to advise Trump on veterans affairs. He recruited his friend Bruce Moskowitz, who then brought in Marc Sherman. None of them had government or military experience.

What they did: The group played a key role in getting David Shulkin named VA Secretary and approved his deputy, Tom Bowman. At the White House’s request, Moskowitz and Perlmutter joined monthly calls about a $16 billion contract to overhaul the VA’s records system. They were in frequent contact with Shulkin, calling him many times a day, including nights and weekends.

Rift with the VA secretary: In late 2017, tensions grew. Moskowitz objected to awarding a Cerner records contract because of his own experience with Cerner’s system. Shulkin ordered a review, but the Mar-a-Lago Crowd pressed to cancel it. They clashed over the VA’s mission—Shulkin believed the VA should handle veterans’ health, while the group favored privatizing many VA services. Believing Shulkin wouldn’t cooperate, they pushed to remove him, the deputy secretary, and the chief of staff. Shulkin was removed in March 2018, and the next morning his replacement, Robert Wilkie, arrived with Sherman present.

Media exposure and backlash: In August 2018, ProPublica published a story based on VA emails from 2017–2018 showing staff frustration and fear about the group’s influence. Veterans groups criticized non-veterans having sway over VA policy.

Investigations and responses: In December 2018, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Brian Schatz urged an inspector general probe into the Mar-a-Lago Crowd. VoteVets filed a lawsuit in 2018 to block their influence, claiming the VA violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act by not recording their meetings. In February 2019, the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee opened an investigation into their influence and the use of private email accounts. Chairman Mark Takano accused Secretary Wilkie of stonewalling the inquiry.