Posted on 04/22/2012 12:49:44 PM PDT by Steelfish
Rep. King Wants To Know Whether 'Per Diem' Used To Pay Colombia Prostitutes April 22, 2012
A top House Republican wants to know whether Secret Service employees involved in the prostitution scandal in Colombia used their taxpayer "per diem" to pay any of the women for their services.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King, R-N.Y., posed the question along with dozens of others in a letter to Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan as part of his committee's escalating probe into the controversy. The questions covered everything from the potential security risks to internal training procedures.
On the issue of prostitute payment, King asked the director two questions -- how many agents paid the women, and how many "provided monetary remuneration to the female foreign nationals involved in the alleged incident in Colombia with the per diem provided by the U.S. government?"
It's unclear how much money the agents may have shelled out on the night in question, or whether any of that money came from the government pocketbook -- one of the women reportedly was paid $225 for the night. It's one of the many questions lawmakers have for the Obama administration as they launch their own investigations into the alleged misconduct.
"Every possible lead is being examined," King said Sunday. Asked about King's letter, Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan told FoxNews.com in an e-mail: "We'll answer all inquiries from Congress."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
This whole thing is starting to smell manufactured.
Per diem for that city in Colombia can be more than $400.00 / day That's tax free and is in addition to salary and other benefits.. and of course it is seven days a week working in country or not.
BTW, for the GSA boys and girls the per diem for Las Vegas I believe is a little over $100 / day. Seems small to me but could be.
There are (were) other expenses covered beyond what per diem such as transportation to/from the airport and taxis in country. Those you had to justify.
.. and you can collect per diem in advance..
unless they changed things since the Nixon Administration.
King only wants the limelight — he won’t even wait for an answer.
It reminds me of the time when he headed a committee to investigate whether Islam was a threat to the security of this nation. Nothing came of it.
(Hey Mr. King, what did you find out about Islam?)
You can ask for an ADVANCE on your per-diem, but it is paid after the fact. So, IF the independent contractors (a.k.a. “Hookers”) were paid in cash, it would have been from personal funds.
They did not break any local laws, so what is the deal?
If any were under 18, it would be a very big deal - as in up to 30 years in federal prison.
I swear I recall getting advance before I left. It's been a long time.
But I went TDY months at a time. Once for two years and had to fly home every six months -- at least when it was overseas.
I don't think I had to do that on domestic TDY.
Not military, all civilian. Yes I was a GS employee for a few years.
Could it be that both sides of the aisle are conspiring to bury this scandal ASAP — because they all have something to hide?
Guys and gals, can we just try to get this straight. Per diem allowance in fact consists of two pieces: lodging, which is reimbursed up to the max when you submit receipts; and, meals and inceidental expenses (M&IE), which is a set amount that you just get and no receipts are required. State Department sets foreign per diem rates and GSA sets the domestic U.S. rates. For instance the hotel allowance in Cartagena is $304, and meals is $107.
Las Vegas lodging is $99 and meals is $71.
King is blowing smoke. There is no way that someone's per diem covers the kinds of services that are under discussion.
Politically, one Representative can’t press that issue to it’s rightful conclusion - at this point in time. All he can do is keep nudging the issue from time to time.
The more elected officials who join in condemning the treasonous, murderous cult the better. We need to keep making progress in general public awareness of this scourge on our nation.
I hope that it will be completely removed from America as soon as possible.
More grassroots education and action in every sphere of life is necessary.
IMHO.
Eating cheaply, and spending the per diem on something else isn’t just “technically” not a fraud. It is a perfectly reasonable, and completely legal thing to do.
Most organizations (private and public sector) pay travelling employees per diems because it’s actually cheaper than requiring itemized accounting of all expenditures. If you are given (say) up to $50.00 for a meal allowance, and have to submit a receipt — then you’ll tend to spend $50.00 per meal. If you receive a per diem of $40 per meal, and spend only $30 — then both you, and your employer come out ahead.
Spitz paid 4500 for what e could have gotten for 225 in Columbia.
>More grassroots education and action in every sphere of life is necessary.<
.
More education, you said?
Like keeping no child behind?
(Sigh)
Way over prized, LOL.The G-man would only pay $30, that probably what he used to pay in Ghana and other places he’s been!!!
RINO Peter King spotted a TV camera and another opportunity to beat his chest and portray himself as a heroic corruption fighter. The egomaniac can't help himself.
Gov travel, per diem and allowable expenses are not paid until the expense report has been filed.....after the trip.
Makes sense. $47 sounds like a per diem amount that only bureaucrats could come up with.
A bucj h of prostitutes are already on the US payroll, although they may not refer to themselves that way
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