Think Progress

Bush officials taking private jets at taxpayer expense.

By Nico Pitney on Oct 25th, 2006 at 11:17 am

Bush officials taking private jets at taxpayer expense.

A new report by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) “reveals that Bush agency heads have taken 125 trips to over 300 locations aboard private jets, helicopters, and other aircraft at taxpayer expense.” Taxpayer-funded travel on private jets “intensified in 2004 when President Bush was campaigning for reelection,” and “much of this travel was concentrated in electoral battleground states.”

Comments
12

12 Responses to “Bush officials taking private jets at taxpayer expense.”

Preznit+Pinhead says:

It’s Clinton’s fault. Clinton made them do it.
October 25th, 2006 at 11:24 am
GSD says:

The King can do anything. How dare you question Barba’s boy?

-GSD
October 25th, 2006 at 11:26 am
Cheney/Voldemort 2008 Campaign HQ says:

Gee, I wonder how many of those trips were taken in steerage, or on a discounter like SouthWest or ATA…

Can you say “zero”? I knew you could!
October 25th, 2006 at 11:55 am
Bluestocking says:

I live in New York City — and as it happens, a prominent local politician (Alan Hevesi) is embroiled in a scandal over something very similar. He apparently used drivers employed by the state to chauffer his wife around — but wait, it gets better! The man is the comptroller for the state of New York…
October 25th, 2006 at 12:04 pm
Jay Randal says:

Bush Regime members are horribly corrupt so nothing more needs to be said!
October 25th, 2006 at 12:15 pm
oxillini says:

Personally, I don’t know why Presidents get to use Air Force One to get to Party fundraisers. Why should I pay for the jet fuel to prop up one party’s candidate. If they use government jet fuel, they better attend a fundraiser for both parties!
October 25th, 2006 at 12:44 pm
Jabberwock says:

Before too much piling on goes on don’t forget the Clinton LAX haircut imbroglio.
October 25th, 2006 at 3:31 pm
taka says:

Ding ding Oxi. Problem is, the Commander in Chief needs to be close to AF1 in case of an emergency. However, any party fundraiser should have to reimburse the government for cost of fuel and maintenance. However, the President would then make the excuse of going to some other event as the reason, and then go to a fundraiser on the side. If this were the case, make the fundraiser foot 50% of the bill , regardless of how many “Presidential” events are also lined up.
October 25th, 2006 at 4:34 pm
JaneESchneider says:

#7, Jabberwock, I thought that that story had been debunked, but honestly, I don’t remember. Anyone?

#6 and #8, hey, they can pay for it out of that $20 million that they stole to pay for the Iraq Victory celebration.
October 25th, 2006 at 5:40 pm
oxillini says:

Well put taka. So obviously they are not going to go to Hertz and drive themselves, but the RNC or DNC should pay for getting him to the event. I’m tired of this crap where the POTUS flies in, gives one speech to closed group, attends a fundraising dinner for the local Representative or Senator and jets back out. I make no claim that Clinton didn’t do it or that a future Democrat wouldn’t do it. I’m just saying it looks like a misuse of Federal funds to me.
October 25th, 2006 at 5:56 pm
WaltTheMan says:

#9=>#7 – JaneESchneider,
Actually, the Clinton story was true – the only difference is that GWB requires a 30 minute axis of invulnerability while prior administrations only required 10. That translates to a cocoon of 300 miles in radius as opposed to the previous 100.
I have probably had a total on-tarmac time of ten to twelve hours due to W delays.
October 25th, 2006 at 7:45 pm
Karim says:

Why am I not surprised?
October 26th, 2006 at 11:01 am

Bush officials taking private jets at taxpayer expense.

Bush officials taking private jets at taxpayer expense.

12 Responses to “Bush officials taking private jets at taxpayer expense.”

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