Footing the Bill for Hillary’s Book Tour
[guest post by JVW]
The Independent, a British newspaper the likes of which we sorely need here in America, reports that the once and future Next President of the United States, FLOTUS/Senator/Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, is managing to bill the U.S. taxpayer for her European book tour. Oh no, it’s not Best Westerns and taxicabs for the formerly “broke” hero of feminism: it’s $3,668 per night at the Georges V in Paris and $5,100 for a fleet of Mercedes-Benz limousine vans. Read the article at the Independent for its links to the website where government spending is reported and tracked.
The burning question is under what prerogative of the pampered “public servant” class does Mrs. Clinton see fit to charge her expenses to the government, considering that she is no longer under its employ. I suppose it is possible that the fancy hotel suite and the three limo vans are all mandated by Secret Service regulations (and Hillary qualifies for Secret Service protection as the wife of an ex-President), and it is perhaps not out of the realm of possibility that she or her publisher will reimburse the government for the expenses, but where the Clintons are concerned I think the safe money should always be placed on an arrogant attitude of entitlement, a blatant disregard for propriety, and a complete lack of humility or circumspection as the Clintons pursue the extravagance which they feel they have earned by their great deeds.
While it may be fun to read about Hillary taking her former boss to the woodshed with respect to his feckless foreign policy (even if she is now beginning to backtrack), let’s not lose sight of how disastrous it would be for this country to suffer through a restoration of the House of Clinton.
– JVW
Well you know that you can put lipstick on a pig (a particularly apt methaphor here) but that vancy tour won’t sell any more books in Europe than it did in the USA> Those books are headed straight to the remainder table, and are likely to have their highest and best use as doorstops.
Skeptical Voter (12e67d) — 8/12/2014 @ 8:24 pmNot that we shouldn’t kick the witch to death while she’s down–but this sow is an abysmal politician and the Donks are sick of her.
I think Warren will dust her.
gary gulrud (46ca75) — 8/12/2014 @ 8:28 pmlet’s not lose sight of how disastrous it would be for this country to suffer through a restoration of the House of Clinton.
The very fact someone like Hillary, in the first place, has to be taken seriously as a viable candidate, much less as a future US president, illustrates just how degraded this country has become.
I was reading Pat Buchanan’s essay, linked at the Drudgereport, on why Sniper-Fire Clinton would beat Mitt Romney (and many Republicans in general) in 2016 and, regrettably, I couldn’t find fault with Buchanan’s assessment, which I’m guessing he wasn’t making happily.
I don’t think it’s a case of being sarcastic or overly pessimistic to predict that the US will come to resemble more and more — both politically, socially, economically and, of course, demographically — our neighbor to the south, Mexico. Of course, if people think that particular society, or places similar to it, is a wonderful, beautiful thing, then such a prediction will make them squeal with delight.
Mark (5758a9) — 8/12/2014 @ 9:56 pmTo the extent that an expense is required by the Secret Service, and wouldn’t have been undertaken but for that requirement, it’s not fair to expect her to pay it, and it’s proper that the government pay it. How much money she’s making from the tour isn’t relevant. She’s entitled to make that money without paying more than she would have if she were travelling alone.
Milhouse (9d71c3) — 8/12/2014 @ 10:35 pmTo the extent that an expense is required by the Secret Service, and wouldn’t have been undertaken but for that requirement, it’s not fair to expect her to pay it, and it’s proper that the government pay it.
Yeah, but check out the article. According to it, the separate hotel chargers for “agents” came to an additional $35,000, and transportation charges came to $11,000+. In other words, the charges I detailed in the original post are charges of Mrs. Clinton, not any members of her protective detail (the notation on the online document is Usss-Vsu-Hotel George V Fflotus Clinton Jul14 “Igf::ot::iff”). Now if you or Hillary or anyone else wants to argue that it is totally appropriate for Mrs. Clinton’s personal hotel and transportation charges be footed by the taxpayer while she is making a personal non-government-related foreign visit in order to tend to her own economic fulfillment, then by all means make that argument. But you should also be willing to make the case for why she had to have a top-notch suite at one of the the most exclusive hotels in Paris (and in all the world, for that matter) rather than something that would be a little more appropriate in a time of huge deficits and economic malaise. Have at it, Milhouse.
JVW (638245) — 8/12/2014 @ 10:48 pmYou don’t get it. The agents’ own expenses are a separate item, but these are the expenses that the Secret Service required her to incur. She’s not allowed to stay at Motel 6, or the French equivalent.
Milhouse (9d71c3) — 8/12/2014 @ 11:05 pmYou don’t get it. The agents’ own expenses are a separate item, but these are the expenses that the Secret Service required her to incur. She’s not allowed to stay at Motel 6, or the French equivalent.
God Almighty, Milhouse, did you bother to read my post? Let me quote from it: “I suppose it is possible that the fancy hotel suite and the three limo vans are all mandated by Secret Service regulations (and Hillary qualifies for Secret Service protection as the wife of an ex-President). . .”
So, yeah, I do in fact “get it.” If you want to find me a Secret Service regulation that says that Hillary had to stay at a $3500 room at the George V instead of, say, a $1800 room at the Paris Marriott, then I will happily concede the point. But absent that — again, as I spelled out in my post — my suspicion is always going to be that Hillary purposely chose a very expensive hotel out of her inflated sense of entitlement.
JVW (638245) — 8/12/2014 @ 11:20 pmR.I.P. Lauren Bacall
This week has officially been shot to hell.
Icy (a124db) — 8/12/2014 @ 11:48 pmGod Almighty, JVW, did you bother to read my comment? Let me quote from it: “To the extent that an expense is required by the Secret Service, and wouldn’t have been undertaken but for that requirement, it’s not fair to expect her to pay it, and it’s proper that the government pay it.”
Milhouse (9d71c3) — 8/13/2014 @ 12:09 amSo are we in agreement then, Milhouse? If it turns out that the SS requires high-profile citizens under their protection to stay in the $3500 full suite at the George V and tool around town in $11,000 worth of rented vans, then hooray for Hillary. But if it turns out that she could have stayed in the $1500 junior suite and made due with only one Mercedes-Benz luxury rental van, then we conclude that Hillary has a predilection for ripping off the taxpayer in order to fund a lavish lifestyle. Are we at least good with that?
JVW (638245) — 8/13/2014 @ 12:17 amIf she chose a more expensive room than the Secret Service required, then she should pay the difference. The linked article argued that since she’s making money from the tour, she should pay the whole thing, and I think that’s wrong. That’s all.
Milhouse (9d71c3) — 8/13/2014 @ 12:42 amShe’ll reimburse the government JUST LIKE ERIC HOLDER.
She’ll send a check for $832 and feel good about it.
© Sponge (8110ec) — 8/13/2014 @ 4:17 amGreetings:
Back in the joy of my youth, my mother’s favorite song was “You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You”. These days, it’s “You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Guards You”.
11B40 (844d04) — 8/13/2014 @ 9:34 amUnless republicans can come up with someone who appeals to independent voters and hispanics Clinton will win. Clinton’s love song: Bill you kiss the asians and blacks and I will kiss the hispanics and jews and we will win the white house as often as we choose! And NO bill you can’t take home those central american teenage girls wading across the rio grande!
mr.gop (d304cc) — 8/13/2014 @ 1:17 pmShe apparently met with French President Francois Hollande – and that somehow became a reason to bill the Paris Embassy for something? Maybe because some State Department official traveled with her?
Van rentals in Berlin got billed to the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (OIG)
It could be that eventually the Secret Service will reimburse the otehr agencies. Maybe this is an attempt to hide the cost of the travel. She gets Secret Service protection as a Former First Lady.
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 8/13/2014 @ 2:21 pm