Posted on 02/09/2007 7:50:29 AM PST by presidio9
Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not request a larger plane for personal use to travel cross-country without stopping, Bill Livingood, the House sergeant at arms, said Thursday.
Livingood said the request was his, and he made it for security reasons.
"The fact that Speaker Pelosi lives in California compelled me to request an aircraft that is capable of making non-stop flights for security purposes, unless such an aircraft is unavailable," Livingood, who has been at his post for 11 years, said in a written statement.
"I regret that an issue that is exclusively considered and decided in a security context has evolved into a political issue," the statement said.
Pelosi is striking back against accusations she asked for a plane larger and more expensive than the one used by former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, a claim published last week in The Washington Times.(Watch Pelosi call the GOP charges "a myth" )
The Times article, headlined "Pelosi's Power Trip -- Non-stop Nancy Seeks Flight of Fancy," led the Republican National Committee to send out a research briefing and blast Pelosi on the House floor.
The article said Pelosi asked the Pentagon for "routine access" to a military plane "not only for herself and her staff, but also for relatives and for other members of the California delegation," quoting sources "familiar with the discussions."
"I have never asked for a larger plane," Pelosi said. "This is a myth that they are talking about on the floor."
The White House also stood behind Pelosi.
"As speaker of the House, she is entitled to military transport and ... the proper arrangements are being made between the Sergeant of Arms Office in the House of Representatives and the U.S. Department of Defense," White House spokesman Tony Snow said.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Also, Planegate sounds too much like Plamegate, and might confuse the exalted Speaker in re-checking her boarding pass.
We need to "Speak Truth to Power!!"
Entitled?
Sorry. When was the last time you've ever seen or heard from the Sergeant at Arms? That in itself is a story.
ms. petrolisky saying I don't want a larger carbon footprint? LOL, I'm not buying it......LOL
This planegate story "for security reasons" is interesting juxtaposed to the Democrats views on terrorism and how they bash things like the Patriot act.
Why doesn't Nancy wave her magic wand and make us all so safe she wouldn't need to worry about security?
Listened to Larry Elder last night, and apparently Pelosi's office was asked to release her original plane request, and they flatly refused. If this is such a non-story as Nancy wants to make it out to be, then why not release that request?
Also, according to jveritas, this whole issue was settled last night - Nancy's apparently going to get a 12-seat jet that's capable of making the coast-to-coast run, probably a Gulfstream G-V (whatever the military calls it). If this is true, then why do they continue to pick at the story and keep it in the news?
And finally, it may have been a silly little non-story as Tony Snow put it, but when John Murtha started making noise about cutting Pentagon funding over it, that took it to a completely different level.
Indeed....
Mr. Livingood is falling on his own sword as he wishes to keep "living-good"..... (JMHO)
The entire problem is that she wants to bring an entire entourage. Fully loaded the plane that Hastert was using would have to stop. (That is my admittedly limited understanding). That them led to I need a bigger plane.
Aero-gate? Me, me, me-gate? My plane just left the gate and I'm late-gate?
BUT WHAT ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING????? That jet would have killed thousands in 2100 AD! The dems had better stop destroying the future planet!!
So... it took this guy 3 days to come forward with this?
Are these aircraft in the Air Force fleet? If so, problem solved.
Wonder just how big Nan's "carbon footprint" will be? She runs around DC in a Tahoe.
As you say, what does security have to do with it if she lands and refuels at the nearest military base? Is she afraid he past dealings with them will come back to haunt her, maybe she will see a ground-crew member with a big bottle of maple syrup heading towards the fuel tank or something....
The last time I ever heard from Bill Livingood was when I sat down at a meeting with him.
No one on the staff side of Capitol Hill is going to lie on behalf of a Congresscritter.
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