The media is falsely comparing Biden spending his weekends in Delaware to Trump robbing taxpayers of millions of dollars by overcharging the Secret Service.
The Trump Travel Scam
Democrats got documents that show Trump repeatedly charged the Secret Service “excessive” rates – including rates as high as $1,185-per room.
“… new documents released today indicate that Trump-owned properties repeatedly charged the Secret Service nightly rates far in excess of government per diem rates, including rates as high as $1,185-per room,” the House Oversight Committee wrote.
“The exorbitant rates charged to the Secret Service and agents’ frequent stays at Trump-owned properties raise significant concerns about the former President’s self-dealing and may have resulted in a taxpayer-funded windfall for former President Trump’s struggling businesses,” wrote Chairwoman Maloney.
That must have really added up over four plus years to a tidy cash grab. When Republicans brag that Trump “donated his salary,” they always leave this part out.
Oh, wait. There isn’t a total yet, because the Secret Service hasn’t complied yet with the requests, but “documents obtained by the Committee show that the Secret Service was charged rates in excess of the government rate at least 40 times from January 20, 2017 to September 15, 2021. Records obtained by the Committee show more than $1.4 million in Secret Service spending at Trump-owned properties in the United States, but this data does not appear to be complete.”
Yes, $1.4 million in spending at Trump-owned properties. Of our money. Fiscal conservative, you say? Insert bitter laughter here.
The Secret Service seems to be dragging its feet (you’re shocked, I know), so the committee has given them until October 31, 2022 to comply.
Democrats are still trying to get a full accounting of the Secret Service’s spending at Trump-owned properties during his reign of incompetent terror.
Trump might be gone from the White House, but the full extent of his greedy theft from the America taxpayer continues to be uncovered.
Biden Spends His Weekends Traveling By Car To Delaware
Here is how CNN chose to cover Biden’s weekends in Delaware:
Some 21 months into his term, Biden has made 55 visits to Delaware, totaling some or all of 174 days as of Sunday, according to a CNN analysis of presidential schedules and a tally kept by Mark Knoller, the longtime unofficial statistician of the White House press corps. In addition, Biden has made 19 visits, or all or part of 64 days, to the Camp David presidential retreat in rural Maryland.
He has now surpassed even the getaway time of former President Donald Trump, so often criticized by Democrats for his regular departures from the White House to stay at one of his personal homes. At this point in his tenure, Trump had spent about 135 days at either his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, or his home at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Trump also had spent 23 days at Camp David.
Biden Going To Delaware And Trump Robbing Taxpayers With Trips To His Properties Are Not The Same
The fact that it needs to be explained to our corporate media that the Trump family running a grift that cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars is not the same as a president who drives roughly 100 each weekend to go home highlights a major failing of the corporate media.
The media thinks that a taxpayer-funded windfall for an alleged millionaire and his family is equal to the president spending weekends at his home, which is within driving distance of the White House.
The failure of the corporate media to use even a hint of common sense is why so many Americans are realizing corporations are pushing their own agendas, and the idea of media being used in the public interest to inform is a dusty antique of America’s past.
Ms. Jones is the co-founder/ editor-in-chief of PoliticusUSA and a member of the White House press pool.
Sarah hosts Politicus News and co-hosts Politicus Radio. Her analysis has been featured on several national radio, television news programs and talk shows, and print outlets including Stateside with David Shuster, as well as The Washington Post, The Atlantic Wire, CNN, MSNBC, The Week, The Hollywood Reporter, and more.
Sarah is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.