RNC calls for investigation of Obama trips
CBS/AP
"Throughout his administration, but particularly in recent weeks, President Obama has been passing off campaign travel as 'official events,' thereby allowing taxpayers, rather than his campaign, to pay for his reelection efforts," says the letter from RNC Chairman Reince Priebus to GAO Comptroller Gene Dodaro. "Given the recent excesses, waste, and abuse uncovered in the General Services Administration, the GAO should be particularly sensitive to misuse of taxpayer dollars."
It's unlikely the letter itself will lead to any official action. A GAO spokesman said the agency, which is the investigative arm of Congress, acts only on requests from lawmakers. However, Kirsten Kukowski, an RNC spokeswoman, expressed confidence that a member of Congress, presumably a Republican, would be willing to request an investigation on the party's behalf.
"It goes to holding him accountable," she said.
The RNC letter cites presidential trips to North Carolina, Colorado, and Iowa, where Obama gave speeches encouraging Congress to pass legislation that will prevent interest rates from going up on federal Stafford Loans. Those events, held in front of "cheering crowds of college students," were "widely reported to be equivalent to campaign events," the committee alleges.
The letter also cites a campaign swing two weeks ago through Florida, where Obama held three fundraisers and one event related to Buffett Rule legislation, which would set a minimum tax rate of 30 percent on households earning more than $1 million a year. These events constitute a worsening "pattern of behavior," Priebus wrote.
A White House spokesman maintained that the travel was part of Obama's "official responsibility to get outside of Washington, D.C., hear from students, and discuss stopping interest rates on their loans from doubling in July - just like Friday's trip to Fort Stewart in Hinesville, Georgia to meet with troops, veterans, and military families is likewise part of the president's official responsibilities."
Spokesman Eric Schultz said in a statement, "When there is political travel, we follow all rules and regulations that all other administrations have followed."
The president's travel is a perennial election-year issue largely because the president's campaign can conceal how much money it reimburses the government for the political portion of trips. The New York Times noted in a recent article that a 2010 regulatory change may leave the political parties picking up more of the tab than ever. Campaign rules now require the president's campaign to reimburse the government for the cost of chartering a 737 aircraft, rather than the cost of first-class commercial airfare, the previous standard.
In his letter, Priebus also took the opportunity to zing the administration about the recent scandal over luxury trips taken by top officials of the General Services Administration. "Understandably, much of your time may be currently occupied investigating the lavish, taxpayer-funded General Services Administration Vegas vacation. And assuming your office, unlike GSA, does not employ a mind reader, we felt it was necessary to file a formal complaint," he wrote, a reference to recent revelations that GSA officials hired a mind reader to entertain employees on one of the trips.
Popular in Politics
- IRS scandal highlights leadership vacancies
- Michelle Obama decries "slander" that educated blacks are "trying to act white" Play Video
- Va. GOP candidate: Planned Parenthood "more lethal" for blacks than KKK 700 Comments
- Top Obama officials knew about IRS probe, says WH
- Immigration bill would require fingerprinting at 30 airports
- Republicans continue beating Benghazi drum 481 Comments
- Both parties vow to "get to the bottom" of IRS scandal 282 Comments
- Adviser on White House scandals: "Partisan fishing expeditions" won't distract Obama
You bozos must have forgotten the massive trips that bush and cheney took, crisscrossing the country in 2004.
I have never seen a more selfish, greedy and anti-Christian bunch than the current cadre of clowns in charge of the Republicon Party. It's sad that we even have any of these people in any kind of position of power in America.
Are we going to wait until they Top 1% has EVERYTHING and we are all sick and dying? They really, really hate America, don't they?
Next, President Clinton, was instrumental in tax breaks and incentives for imports over domestic goods, which cost us over 75% of a Gross National Product, while increasing our cost of government endorced spending. Bush just added the attempts to remove cancers. But I guess you would have preferred to have the possiblity of more 9/11 attacks looming?
As for Obama being beloved... check your facts, his current rating is anything but "beloved". His campaigning is whining about the GOP stopping further spendings, and further constraints on tax payers.
Simple fact, under the Obama plan, we will have no Social Security and no welfare in 10 years. In 20 years, the working class with be paying more into taxes than take home, meaning less benefitial to work and just draw off government entitlment, further adding to the taxes.
As for the GOP only helping Millionaire and billionaire... check your facts, Democrats have done more to raise the bottom line on Corporate Earnings and it is the GOP Representatives pushing for legislation to end the conflict of interest between Politicains and Wall Street... Heck, Clinton's gross millions last year of "Corporate relations"..
Any thing really substantial to offer?? Anyone?
Isn't this really what every incumbent does and has done in the past or is this because Obama is doing it.
You know, instead of sniping about airplanes, there is a lot of real stuff you can gripe about.
Let the ********** begin.
The president bests the Republican contender on a couple of key measures. More voters think Obama (36 percent) has a "clear plan for fixing the economy" than think Romney does (31 percent). In addition, voters are slightly more likely to view the president favorably than unfavorably (50-48 percent), while the opposite is true for Romney (42-45 percent).
As for popularity polls have shown, Obama isn't sitting in a very comfortable spot, and he really needs some press attention.
As for trips to Crawford, unless he was holding a Political rally, they are off topic.
Read the article correctly, Obama wasn't holding "fund raising", he was campaigning for Political Voter Support. And no doubt, George W. Bush went throught the same issue from the Democrats at the time of his re-election bid, and he had to account for every penny or face santions.
The President's JOB is to NOT campaign. As for doing more, Obama has only 3 peices of accomplishments over 4 years, Bush had that in his first year... so your facts are slightly askewed.
As for cost of trips, that's way incorrect, the Government only pays the price of a standard Commercial flight. The Campaign funds pay the difference.
The "Security" is provided 24hrs, 7 days a week. They are not hourly paid. They are ALWAYS on the clock, so whether they are hanging out at the WH shack or on a place or whatever, taxpayers are paying for the same amount of personnel.
LOL!
The knives are coming out among Obama's supporters. Barney Frank, Sonia Maria Sotomayor, President Carter.....
The main stream media will be next!
Louis Farrakhan Muhammad Sr. warned Obama about this......
Apparently more than enough since Dick the war criminal Cheney and his cohorts made a fortune on the war while tens of thousands of brave American soldiers died in vain (not to mention many many more innocent civilians).
LOL!
You and Obama renewed all of the No-Bid contracts with Haliburton and their Subsidiaries twice since you have been in office.
I guess that make you a one of the cohorts too!