House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa today demanded that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton turn over documents concerning what he called "excessively lavish" spending for official White House state dinners.
Issa also released a video titled "All the President's Parties" comparing President Obama's promises to cut wasteful federal spending with examples of extravagance drawn from the dinners for foreign dignitaries.
"During these tough economic times, Americans are reining in their spending wherever possible," Issa said in the Nov. 1 letter to Clinton, citing recent reporting by The Washington Examiner. "The executive branch should be mindful of this. Reports of excessively lavish events, however, indicate the opposite." (See the complete letter in the embedded viewer beneath this story.)
The Examiner reported on Oct. 26 that a May 2010 Obama state dinner for Mexican President Felipe Calderón cost nearly $1 million, or $4,700 per attendee. Three other Obama state dinners since 2009 cost half a million or more, according to official documents cited by the newspaper.
A special concert stage was erected in a massive walled tent on the South Lawn where singer Beyoncé entertained guests for the Calderon dinner. Private trolleys ferried guests from the White House to the tent, and a celebrity chef was brought in from Chicago to prepare a special menu for the event.
Read more: http://washingtonexaminer.com/house-panel-wants-answers-on-costly-white-house-dinners/article/2512427#.UJaxl4Wm4fp
Issa also released a video titled "All the President's Parties" comparing President Obama's promises to cut wasteful federal spending with examples of extravagance drawn from the dinners for foreign dignitaries.
"During these tough economic times, Americans are reining in their spending wherever possible," Issa said in the Nov. 1 letter to Clinton, citing recent reporting by The Washington Examiner. "The executive branch should be mindful of this. Reports of excessively lavish events, however, indicate the opposite." (See the complete letter in the embedded viewer beneath this story.)
The Examiner reported on Oct. 26 that a May 2010 Obama state dinner for Mexican President Felipe Calderón cost nearly $1 million, or $4,700 per attendee. Three other Obama state dinners since 2009 cost half a million or more, according to official documents cited by the newspaper.
A special concert stage was erected in a massive walled tent on the South Lawn where singer Beyoncé entertained guests for the Calderon dinner. Private trolleys ferried guests from the White House to the tent, and a celebrity chef was brought in from Chicago to prepare a special menu for the event.
Read more: http://washingtonexaminer.com/house-panel-wants-answers-on-costly-white-house-dinners/article/2512427#.UJaxl4Wm4fp
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