The Utah Republican is seeking information about whether guests are vetted to "ensure that they are not foreign agents or spies on behalf of a foreign government." | AP Photo Chaffetz probes Trump's security protocols at Mar-a-Lago

House oversight committee chairman Jason Chaffetz is pressing White House officials for details on why President Donald Trump conducted some of his response to a North Korean missile test in a public dining room at his Mar-a-Lago club.

In a letter to White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, Chaffetz requested answers about security protocols at Mar-a-Lago; the details of potentially sensitive documents that Trump and his aides perused in the presence of diners and waitstaff; and whether any sensitive material was discussed in public. The Utah Republican is also seeking information about whether guests are vetted to "ensure that they are not foreign agents or spies on behalf of a foreign government."


White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Tuesday that no classified material was discussed in public, and that Trump was briefed in a secure location both before and after his dinner. But Chaffetz said that assurance may not be enough.

"'[D]iscussions with foreign leaders regarding international missile tests, and documents used to support those discussions, are presumptively sensitive," the Utah Republican wrote. "While the President is always on duty, and cannot dictate the timing of when he needs to receive sensitive information about urgent matters, we hope the White House will cooperate in providing the Committee with additional information."

Pictures and videos of Trump's chaotic dinner — with top aides holding up cell phones in the darkened room as Trump, alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, considered their response to the missile test — surfaced quickly over the weekend, posted by fellow diners. Chaffetz also noted that separately, a Mar-a-Lago member posted a picture alongside the U.S. official responsible for carrying the nuclear "football," the briefcase that allows the president to launch a nuclear strike.

Chaffetz asked Priebus for answers by Feb. 28, the same day that the White House is also due to respond to an Office of Government Ethics inquiry into a potential violation by senior adviser Kellyanne Conway. That inquiry was also launched at Chaffetz's urging. He joined the oversight committee's ranking Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), to urge OGE to probe Conway's recent appearance on Fox & Friends, in which she appeared to flout ethics rules prohibiting endorsements of a private company by touting Ivanka Trump's products.