Posted on 12/20/2014 11:23:37 AM PST by jazusamo
President’s Political Junkets Continue Unabated
Who is On the Obama Enemies List? Judicial Watch Sues to Find Out.
The President from ACORN
President’s Political Junkets Continue Unabated
It has become a tiresome, tedious – and costly – routine. Hollywood calls with a passel of cash, and President Obama comes running – at great expense to taxpayers – to fill up his political coffers. That’s what we discovered anew after obtaining records from the U.S. Department of the Air Force highlighting yet another Obama fundraising trip to Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. These documents came to us in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed on October 20, 2014. Instead of advancing the nation’s interests and keeping the public trust, the president is instead, once again, using taxpayer money to subsidize lavish political junkets.
On October 9, Obama attended a ritzy fundraiser hosted by Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow in Los Angeles. Obama also attended “a $15,000-per person ‘roundtable’ discussion fundraiser for the DNC on Friday morning at the home of restaurateur Michael Chow and his wife Eva, a fashion designer.”
Then he went to San Francisco for two more fundraisers, including one at a “private home.” The AP reported that “the event, his fourth California fundraiser in three days, is closed to media coverage.”
According to the newly released records JW obtained, transportation for Obama to Los Angeles, California, on October 9, 2014, for the Paltrow fundraiser cost taxpayers $1,011,051.30. Transportation for Obama to San Francisco, California on October 10, 2014, fundraiser cost taxpayers an additional $165,069.60.
Obama’s fundraiser at the home of Paltrow marked his thirtieth Los Angeles fundraiser since he took office – though his July fundraiser at the home of Michael Rapino had been billed as “the last trip to Los Angeles the president will be making this year,” according to KCAL TV . With the threat of a Republican sweep of Senate seats, however, Hollywood again opened its coffers in another attempt to raise money for the Democratic National Committee a month out from mid-term elections. The fundraiser at the home of A-list actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who also held a fundraising event for Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, came with a price tag of up to $32,400 per attendee.
While Obama benefits financially from the allure of Hollywood, some of the comments made by his host proved to be more than a little embarrassing. Paltrow showed an apparent disregard (or perhaps lack of understanding) for the constitutional separation of powers when at one point she gushed, “ It would be wonderful if we were able to give this man all of the power that he needs to pass the things that he needs to pass.” Even the editors at TMZ, a popular celebrity gossip news site, gave Paltrow and Obama a harsh tongue-lashing for that comment. “It’s the latest example of how demeaning it has become for Presidents to act like circus animals – performing for crowds that will feed them…” TMZ editors concluded, “…the celebrity circus has sullied the Presidency of the United States.”
On October 10, Obama took time out from his fundraising schedule to declare the Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park part of the San Gabriel Mountains in San Dimas as a national monument via executive order, bypassing the constitutional authority of Congress to declare a national park – and making it more difficult to protect our border.
Even as Obama postures as a champion of average Americans, he continues to run up excessive tabs for taxpayer-funded political junkets. Over the Labor Day Weekend, for example, Obama ran up a total of $1,539,402.10 in taxpayer-paid transportation expenses.
The trip began in Westchester, New York, on Friday, August 29. While in New York, Obama attended two fundraisers for the Democratic National Committee, one of them a BBQ at the home of millionaire and former UBS CEO Robert Wolf. Obama later that day took off for Providence, Rhode Island, for a fundraiser at the plush private residence of former Nortek CEO Richard Bready and Betty Easton, where tickets cost up to $32, 400. Although the president was initially scheduled to fly back to Westchester, New York, that Friday night, and then return to D.C. after attending the Saturday wedding of White House chef Sam Kass to MSNBC host Alex Wagner, he made some very costly last minute changes. Instead, according to White House press secretary Josh Ernst, Obama flew back to Washington on Friday to “sleep in his own bed, do a little work… spend time with his family ….” Then he flew back to New York on Saturday – at a cost total of $295,227.80 more in taxpayer-paid flight expenses. And that is nearly six times what the average American makes in a year – an amount which, critics would argue not so coincidentally, has actually fallen 8% since Obama became president.
Taxpayers are being gouged by President Obama for unnecessary travel for political fundraising and vacations. There needs to be a reconsideration of the longstanding taxpayer subsidy that forces our nation’s military and Secret Service into the service of political parties and candidates. Prior presidents – Republican and Democrat – also made 30 plus trips on Air Force One for fundraising activities. Reimbursement by the parties and candidates for the tremendous costs to taxpayers is ridiculously low – just relatively modest airfare and money for hotel, food. It is a scam and the actual process for billing is secret, as the AP reports, in the most transparent White House in history:
When a presidential trip includes multiple stops, some of them for political events and some for official purposes, then travel costs get divided up between the campaign and the government. But following a decades-old White House tradition, Obama aides declined to share details on how that’s done.
This is an area ripe for reform, which JW hopes its works can further. Could you imagine an easier issue to unite Democrats and Republicans than the notion of requiring politicians to more fairly reimburse our decimated Defense Department and barely functional Secret Service for those agencies precious services that turns the President of the United States into the traveling Barnum and Bailey of political fundraising?
In the meantime, President Obama will abuse his presidential perks further by going to Hawaii for a 17 day “working vacation.” JW found that one prior Christmas vacation for Obama cost you and your grandchildren – and their grandchildren – $4,086,355.20 for flights alone! Try not to think of how our country is going further into debt as you enjoy your Christmas.
Your JW is the best source for details on Air Obama. A complete rundown of First Family vacations and junkets is available here.
Continues with: Who is On the Obama Enemies List? & The President from ACORN
My last FOIA came back blank.
Who do I sue?
LOL Tom Fitton will know. :)
I suspect, but can’t prove since no member of congress or the media is looking unto this to confirm it. He’s been using these “trips” to reward campaign contributors. His first trip for example to the UK had an entourage of 5000. Now were those members given a charge card ? Actually I believe what he’s been doing with these “official visits” is in itself an impeachable offence. If not, certainly an abuse of executive privledge and worth a censure vote.
I agree...0bama is corrupt through and through and doesn’t do anything without taking advantage of all the angles, legal or not.
Congress should place strict fiscal constraints on presidential travel that would prevent taxpayer funds from being used for trips whose purpose includes ANY non-official activity, such as fundraisers and vacations. Any travel where non-official activity occurs should be privately funded. Same would apply to congress critters. Won’t ever happen but it should.
LOL!. You mean our Congress?!
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