Pelosi's Trip to Italy, Ukraine Cost Air Force $18
Post# of 65629
January 18, 2019 | 5:38 PM EST
The new House Speaker
(CNSNews.com) -- Given the political kerfluffle over President Trump cancelling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Claif.) congressional delegation (CODEL) trip to Afghanistan, it is interesting to note that a 2015 CODEL to Italy and Ukraine by Pelosi, as documented by Judicial Watch, cost the Air Force alone $184,587.81 in expenses.
“Speaker Pelosi has a demonstrated record of abusing the perks of office that give her access to military luxury travel paid for by taxpayers,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton in a press release.
During the 2015 CODEL, Pelosi traveled with her husband and several members of Congress and their spouses to Milan, Rome, and Naples, Italy and to Kiev, Ukraine. In Rome, the trip included visits to the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, the Duomo, and a viewing of Leonardo Da Vinci's "Last Supper," reported Judicial Watch.
The government watchdog obtained the expenses data after filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Air Force in December 2015. That FOIA suit asked for the following:
"All records regarding mission taskings of flights escorting members of Congress.
"All records concerning transportation costs for transporting members of Congress.
"All passenger manifests (DD-2131) for transporting members of Congress.
"All weekly travel reports for members of Congress."
The lawsuit revealed that Air Force expenses for the CODEL were $134,587.81 plus $50,000 for an "escort officer." Total: $184,587.81.
"Judicial Watch previously uncovered that Pelosi’s military travel cost the United States Air Force $2,100,744.59 over one two-year period — $101,429.14 of which was for in-flight expenses, including food and alcohol," said the watchdog group in its press release.
"Judicial Watch’s work exposing Pelosi’s travel abuses resulted in her successor John Boehner declining to use Air Force luxury jets to travel to his Ohio congressional district."
https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/michael-...e-18458781