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News you won't be hearing about Michelle Obama's China junket
American Thinker ^ | 03/20/2014 | Thomas Lifson

Posted on 03/20/2014 6:57:39 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Evidently the White House realizes that Michelle Obama’s expensive and luxurious family junket to China, accompanied by her mother and daughters, looks like a colossal waste of taxpayer money. That’s the logical explanation for unusual restrictions on media access. No reporters are accompanying her. Even the Obama sycophants at the New York Times are noticing:

 "Mrs. Obama is drawing scrutiny for her decision to travel with her mother and her two daughters, who are on spring break, bringing to mind a vacation she took to Spain in 2010 with her daughter Sasha and some friends. She and her entourage paid for their lodging and entertainment. But the security cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars, and the trip was criticized as lavish.
The UK Daily Mail reports on the unusual restrictions on media access for those reporters in China who want to cover the junket:

First lady Michelle Obama will not take questions from reporters or give interviews during her tour of China that begins today, and members of the press corps who usually follows the first family everywhere can't travel with her entourage.

And although she will make a few speeches with reporters in the room, the picture is largely one of an expensive, taxpayer-funded tourism exercise for Mrs. Obama, her two daughters, and her mother – not the official trip the White House has projected.

White House press officials haven't comment on the record about whether a reported ban on question-and-answer interviews applies equally to American journalists and international reporters.

And limited information made available to MailOnline suggests that only two out of 22 scheduled events on the trip will afford journalists a chance to do any significant reporting – including a solitary speech – .


(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: china; michelle; michelleobama; obamavacation
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1 posted on 03/20/2014 6:57:39 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
..... the picture is largely one of an expensive, taxpayer-funded tourism exercise VACATION for Mrs. Obama, her two daughters, and her mother – not the official trip the White House has projected.
2 posted on 03/20/2014 6:59:50 AM PDT by Qiviut (It's hard to be a donk if you're sane & it's hard to be a pubbie if you have any integrity.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Watcha wanna bet she’ll lay flowers at Mao’s tomb?


3 posted on 03/20/2014 6:59:58 AM PDT by RushIsMyTeddyBear (Great vid by ShorelineMike! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOZjJk6nbD4&feature=plcp)
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To: SeekAndFind

Yet another lavish, taxpayer-funded Obama vacation.


4 posted on 03/20/2014 7:00:09 AM PDT by Timber Rattler (Just say NO! to RINOS and the GOP-E)
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To: SeekAndFind

How dare they question the Empress?


5 posted on 03/20/2014 7:00:21 AM PDT by LucianOfSamasota (Tanstaafl - its not just for breakfast anymore...)
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To: SeekAndFind

Acting like one of Holder’s people who just got their $6000 EITC check.


6 posted on 03/20/2014 7:00:49 AM PDT by Gaffer (Comprehensive Immigration Reform is just another name for Comprehensive Capitulation)
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To: SeekAndFind

She wants to visit the Omar the Tent Maker Outlet store in China.....


7 posted on 03/20/2014 7:00:54 AM PDT by illiac (If we don't change directions soon, we'll get where we're going)
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To: SeekAndFind
Even the Obama sycophants at the New York Times are noticing:

Now that's NEWS!

8 posted on 03/20/2014 7:01:13 AM PDT by GOPJ (NASA: N othing A bout S pace A nymore - - FreperClearCase_guy)
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To: SeekAndFind

There is no Oversight over these trips. Nobody is held to account on how much these trips cost.
If a person works for a company and has a expense account, that person has to account for every penny. Shame that don’t happen here


9 posted on 03/20/2014 7:01:34 AM PDT by Yorlik803 ( Church/Caboose in 2016)
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To: SeekAndFind

Maybe she’ll defect......


10 posted on 03/20/2014 7:03:45 AM PDT by stboz
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To: stboz

“Maybe she’ll defect......”

I’d stamp that commie as a defect.


11 posted on 03/20/2014 7:07:31 AM PDT by RS_Rider (I hate Illinois Nazis)
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To: LucianOfSamasota
How dare they question the Empress?


12 posted on 03/20/2014 7:11:25 AM PDT by SeekAndFind (question is this)
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To: Qiviut

..... the picture is largely one of an expensive, taxpayer-funded tourism exercise VACATION for Mrs. Obama, her two daughters, and her mother – not the official trip the White House has projected.

____________________

Didn’t the Leftist Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton’s wife do something similar with her daughter during the second term of her husband’s administration?


13 posted on 03/20/2014 7:14:29 AM PDT by Chickensoup (Leftist totalitarian fascism is on the move.)
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To: SeekAndFind

You’re onto something...we need a FR contest..guess the places Moochelle visits before Barack leaves office..


14 posted on 03/20/2014 7:16:26 AM PDT by ken5050 (I fear a world run by adults who were never spanked as kids and got trophies just for participating)
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To: ken5050

I just want to know the names of all the freeloaders that will be accompanying the First Sasquatch and its spawn.


15 posted on 03/20/2014 7:20:24 AM PDT by Ancient Man
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To: Chickensoup

Didn’t the Leftist Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton’s wife do something similar with her daughter during the second term of her husband’s administration?

***************************************************

March 1997 trip to Africa with daughter Chelsea maybe?


16 posted on 03/20/2014 7:27:18 AM PDT by Qiviut (It's hard to be a donk if you're sane & it's hard to be a pubbie if you have any integrity.)
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To: SeekAndFind
"Mrs. Obama is drawing scrutiny for her decision to travel with her mother and her two daughters, who are on spring break, bringing to mind a vacation she took to Spain in 2010 with her daughter Sasha and some friends. She and her entourage paid for their lodging and entertainment. But the security cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars, and the trip was criticized as lavish.

I am skeptical that she and her camp followers paid a dime of their own money.

17 posted on 03/20/2014 7:33:05 AM PDT by El Cid (Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house...)
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To: ken5050

What’s the over/under on the number of White House junkets for 2014? (And I shudder in thinking about the line for the actual total costs).


18 posted on 03/20/2014 7:33:29 AM PDT by Stosh
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To: El Cid

“I am skeptical that she and her camp followers paid a dime of their own money.”

Anytime time words to the effect that the Obamas paid for something themselves, I immediately suspect Penny Pritzker’s involved in there somehow: Secretary of Commerce appointments don’t come cheap.


19 posted on 03/20/2014 7:37:56 AM PDT by Stosh
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To: Qiviut
and why is it okay for the President and his wife to do these things, but former Congressman Richard Pombo caused a damn circus over his RV trip?

In August 2003, Pombo and his family rented an RV and "spent two weeks on vacation, stopping along the way to enjoy ... our national parks."[33] The 5,000 miles (8,000 km) trip included stops in the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Joshua Tree, Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park and Mount Rushmore, Badlands National Park, and other parks. The $4,935 cost of the rental was charged to the federal government, but was determined to be a more cost effective alternative to flying, renting a car, and staying in a hotel.

When asked in February 2006 about the trip — rules forbid government-funded travel for personal vacations, but allow lawmakers to bring family members on official trips—Pombo said that he had looked into flying into the parks by commercial air or charters, but found the costs to be excessive. After choosing to travel instead by RV, he invited his family along with him.

20 posted on 03/20/2014 7:38:18 AM PDT by latina4dubya (when i have money i buy books... if i have anything left, i buy 6-inch heels and a bottle of wine...)
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