There goes the Wednesday Night Conga Line dance parties.
[These two poseurs have went through OUR money like the Katrina 'victims' leeches did with that $2,000 FEMA credit card.]
"I be goin' to da White House"
"But I gotta bring my own beer!"
Posted on 08/03/2009 6:09:58 AM PDT by reaganaut1
Recently, high-profile visitors to the White House, including senior corporate executives, have found themselves paying for their own meals when sitting down with President Barack Obama, something unheard of in previous White Houses, according to former aides to President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton.
Thus far, there have been at least three instances -- the most recent coming last Friday -- where CEOs or other non-political guests were asked before arriving to the West Wing to provide credit card information so that their meals could be billed to them. According to one source, the meals cost between $20 and $40. "That's not including tip," the current White House aide quipped.
The White House has officially stated that reason to charge for the meals is to remove any appearance of impropriety or conflict of interest, according to a statement put out by White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki. But there are no rules barring the President from buying lunch for guests, whether through the White House budget or his own wallet.
In fact, those presidential employees with guest privileges at the White House dining room, known as the "mess," cannot charge their guests' lunch to White House accounts. With a few exceptions, all employees pay for their guests out of their own pocket.
So, with no ethics issue barring the President from buying his guests lunch, what are the reasons? According to another White House source, the Obama Administration in its first 200 days may have burned through much of its budgets for the Executive Residence and the White House's annual entertainment account.
"We've done a lot more entertaining than previous administrations have," says the White House aide. "The whispering here is that we're over budget and where we can, we're trying to save money."
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
I personally found it rather amusing - there REALLY is no free lunch in Washington.
“We’ve done a lot more entertaining than previous administrations have,” says the White House aide. “The whispering here is that we’re over budget and where we can, we’re trying to save money.”
Unbelievable. They ask people to come on business; charge them for it; but spend recklessly on their and their friends own entertainment.
I wonder how the masses either out of work or facing higher taxes will feel about that?
“Recently, high-profile visitors to the White House, including senior corporate executives, have found themselves paying for their own meals when sitting down with President Barack Obama, something unheard of in previous White Houses, according to former aides to President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton. “
Unheard anywhere that I know of. How humiliating.
Well, serving $100/lb wagyu beef to visiting Congresscritters every Wednesday will tend to burn up the ol' budget.
Ya think they could have gone witt $20/lb choice filet, but when you are the Obamessiah, only the best will do - even as large swaths of your subjects are unemployed and eating macs and cheese.
$20 bucks for a Wagyu beef dinner? I’m there/sarc
““The whispering here is that we’re over budget and where we can, we’re trying to save money.””
Guess those $100 lb steaks really broke the entertainment budget. Or maybe the hundred thousand dollar ‘date night’.
This man and woman cannot even manage to keep running the White House itself within budget and we are supposed to trust him with our HEALTHCARE???
Gee. I wonder how many lunches that $350 GRAND spend for the NYC photo-op flyover would have bought.
What line on the IRS form do these executives file the expense under?
No different than Kwame Kilpatrick...EX-Mayor, Detroit.
Give me an f...ing break. Now I’ve heard of everything.
This is total BS.
The White House is processing their Diner’s and American Express Cards?
Then I’d like to know who is NOT having to pay for their meals.
Who paid for the beer fest the other night. I saw that on TV. What a collossal blunder that was, and to see those guys in white shirts rolled up was so contrived it was embarrassing.
I mean heres Gates and Crowley dressed and Biden and Obama in their white shirts rolled up.
Can’t wait to see what we’ll hear about this week.
The Federal dictatorship must be abolished before it destroys our freedom... Power to the STATES, not the Feds...
White House stewards expect tips?
What next, tip jars at the IRS offices?
I would say if they’re itemizing, it goes under medical expenses. Colonoscopies fall under that umbrella, no?
And he's worried about a "conflict of interest" because of a $30 lunch at the WH?? Obama, thy very name is HYPOCRISY and CONFLICT.
How galling! Throw BILLIONS to your political cronies and yet pretend to have the virtue of Caesar’s wife when it comes to a $20 meal.
There MUST be a teachable moment in here somewhere.
[These two poseurs have went through OUR money like the Katrina 'victims' leeches did with that $2,000 FEMA credit card.]
"I be goin' to da White House"
"But I gotta bring my own beer!"
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