Travel records show that at least three House Republicans and a Democrat left behind the city of bleak bickering in December for a trip to the "happiest place on Earth."
The members traveled from Dec. 12-14 to Southern California, including a stopover in Disneyland, for the annual Congress Bundestag Forum. The event brings together German and U.S. leaders to discuss a range of issues facing Europe and the U.S. The German Marshall Fund of the United States sponsored the travel at a cost of more than $10,000.
The trip was the first privately funded travel for Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), whose wife Lisa attended as well. Reps. Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Mike Turner (R-Ohio) have also filed disclosures for the trip.
At Warner Bros., members were also scheduled to tour the studio and participate in a luncheon discussion on intellectual property, according to a filed itinerary. Afterward, they traveled to Disneyland for a session with representatives from Disney on forecasting security threats and designing responses.
They stayed in Laguna Beach that night following a scheduled welcome dinner with Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) at the Bowers Museum in Orange County. Topics at sessions also included relations with Russia, energy and the trans-Atlantic relationship.
