The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has accepted a request from two senators to investigate whether a group of Mar-a-Lago members wielded undue influence over Trump administration policies at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The GAO will probe whether a few Mar-a-Lago members close to President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE, who owns the Florida resort, weighed in on the timing and content of a digital health records overhaul at the VA.

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Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenHillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns On The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline Democratic senators ask inspector general to investigate IRS use of location tracking service MORE (Mass.) and Brian Schatz Brian Emanuel SchatzCDC causes new storm by pulling coronavirus guidance Overnight Health Care: CDC pulls revised guidance on coronavirus | Government watchdog finds supply shortages are harming US response | As virus pummels US, Europe sees its own spike Video of Lindsey Graham arguing against nominating a Supreme Court justice in an election year goes viral MORE (Hawaii) in August sent a letter to the GAO requesting the investigation, citing a ProPublica report that concluded three of Trump's "Mar-a-Lago cronies" were "secretly shaping the Trump administration's veterans policies."

"These accounts and others detailed in the ProPublica investigation, if true, paint a disturbing picture of corruption and cronyism that is not only antithetical to transparent, accountable, and ethical government, but will make it more difficult for the Secretary to lead the VA in a way that allows him to exercise his independent judgment," Warren and Schatz wrote in their letter.

The GAO, in a response to the senators on Nov. 19, wrote that the requested investigation is "within the scope of its authority." It estimated that watchdog office will be able to "initiate an engagement in about five months."

According to the ProPublica investigation, three members of Trump's private Mar-a-Lago resort — Ike Perlmutter, Bruce Moskowitz and Marc Sherman — regularly made demands of VA officials and "view[ed] themselves as making the decisions."

Warren's office in an email on Monday said that she "applauds the [GAO] for its decision to investigate whether unqualified, unaccountable private citizens — cronies of President Trump — with no official government role or responsibilities had or continue to have any undue influence over [VA] decisions."