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Air Pelosi

Mike

Well-known member
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly requested military aircraft to shuttle her and her colleagues and family around the country, according to a new report from a conservative watchdog group.

Representatives for Judicial Watch, which obtained e-mails and other documents from a Freedom of Information request, said the correspondence shows Pelosi has abused the system in place to accommodate congressional leaders and treated the Air Force as her "personal airline."

The e-mails showed repeated attempts by Pelosi aides to request aircraft, sometimes aggressively, and by Department of Defense officials to accommodate them.

"I think that's above and beyond what other members of Congress are doing and what is expected of our elected officials," said Jenny Small, a researcher with the group.

The group reported that Pelosi was notorious for making special demands for high-end aircraft, lodging last-minute cancellations, and racking up additional expenses for the military.

In one e-mail, aide Kay King complained to the military that they had not made available any aircraft the House speaker wanted for Memorial Day recess.

"It is my understanding there are NO G5s available for the House during the Memorial Day recess. This is totally unacceptable ... The Speaker will want to know where the planes are," King wrote.

In another, when told a certain type of aircraft would not be available, King wrote: "This is not good news, and we will have some very disappointed folks, as well as a very upset Speaker."
Pelosi's office has not yet responded to requests for comment.
 

hopalong

Well-known member
Sandhusker said:
Yeah, but Palin got a per diem, so they're even! :lol:

At $60,000 per trip that $120000 a week that equals 6420000 a yr. heck of a perk I would think.

a little more than the per diem that Sarah got!!

Outrage!!! you liberals???
 

Larrry

Well-known member
In this economy or any economy this is completely uncalled for. Any taxpayer should complain no matter their political leanings.
 

TexasBred

Well-known member
Wow...Pelosi has a real sleek plane. Seats about 42 I believe "comfortably".

Pelosi_s_Plane.jpg
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Nancy Pelosi's Travel Scrutinized
Rep. Nancy Pelosi's predecessor as House speaker, Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-IL), began flying military planes for official travel in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. The Air Force has a stable of planes that are used for travel by the speaker, Cabinet members, top generals and for congressional trips to Iraq and other war zones.

Were you upset when it was a Speaker with a little (R) by his name...Did you object when GW thought this was necessary in todays world for the countries security to have the 2nd in line of succession to have a military plane :???:
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
The Air Force has a stable of planes that are used for travel by the speaker, Cabinet members, top generals and for congressional trips to Iraq and other war zones.

OT, you need to read your quotes a bit better.

It doesn't say for trips to the Hair Salon.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
hypocritexposer said:
The Air Force has a stable of planes that are used for travel by the speaker, Cabinet members, top generals and for congressional trips to Iraq and other war zones.

OT, you need to read your quotes a bit better.

It doesn't say for trips to the Hair Salon.

Hastert flew all around in one- including trips back and forth to his home- and trips for his aides back and forth...

Yeah-Yeah- I know- different standards for (R's)..... :roll:

Well- at least the first part of your name is right: hypocrit :wink: :lol: :lol:
 

Mike

Well-known member
Oldtimer said:
hypocritexposer said:
The Air Force has a stable of planes that are used for travel by the speaker, Cabinet members, top generals and for congressional trips to Iraq and other war zones.

OT, you need to read your quotes a bit better.

It doesn't say for trips to the Hair Salon.

Hastert flew all around in one- including trips back and forth to his home- and trips for his aides back and forth...

Yeah-Yeah- I know- different standards for (R's)..... :roll:

Well- at least the first part of your name is right: hypocrit :wink: :lol: :lol:

You must be more stupid than anyone here ever imagined. :roll:

There is no one biatching about Pelosi using the Air Force, it's the way she expects everyone to jump when she says "frog".

"I think that's above and beyond what other members of Congress are doing and what is expected of our elected officials," said Jenny Small, a researcher with the group.

The group reported that Pelosi was notorious for making special demands for high-end aircraft, lodging last-minute cancellations, and racking up additional expenses for the military.

In one e-mail, aide Kay King complained to the military that they had not made available any aircraft the House speaker wanted for Memorial Day recess.

"It is my understanding there are NO G5s available for the House during the Memorial Day recess. This is totally unacceptable ... The Speaker will want to know where the planes are," King wrote.

In another, when told a certain type of aircraft would not be available, King wrote: "This is not good news, and we will have some very disappointed folks, as well as a very upset Speaker."
Pelosi's office has not yet responded to requests for comment.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
I'm not a Pelosi lover- and can just imagine how she treats the Air Force-- but this is pure politics----If you weren't bitching about Hastert and his use- then you're a hypocrite to be bitching about Pelosi and her use...

from Sweet column in The Hill www.thehill.com)

Former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) used a government plane on a routine basis to fly himself and his two top staffers at the time, Scott Palmer, the chief of staff, and Mike Stokke, the deputy COS, from the capital to an airport near his home in Illinois. Hastert had a rather unusual management system: His key aides almost always traveled with him when he returned to the District. It was convenient, since Palmer and Stokke roomed with Hastert in Washington, sharing his townhouse.

When Hastert was under pressure because of the exploding Mark Foley page scandal last October, he ordered an airlift at government expense to fly a lawmaker to Washington for the sole purpose of getting him to a press conference to help bail Hastert out of the jam.

Pelosi’s tenure as Speaker is going to occur under a spotlight that was never aimed at Hastert. Pelosi’s team understands that. Hastert was never much of a target of the conservative cable talkers, and Pelosi is.

White House Defends Pelosi Over Plane Request
Thursday, February 08, 2007



WASHINGTON — The White House on Thursday came to the defense of Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, describing as "silly" reports about her use of a large Air Force transport plane to travel back and forth from her West Coast district.

"This is a silly story and I think it's been unfair to the speaker," White House spokesman Tony Snow said at a morning briefing with reporters.

"We think it's important that the speaker of the House enjoy the same kind of security that we arranged for Speaker Hastert in the wake of September 11th. And like I said, I think that there's been a lot of over-hyped reporting on this," Snow said.

House Minority Leader John Boehner also said it is appropriate for Pelosi to have the plane, but questioned the need for a jet nearly the size of Air Force One.

“I think from a security standpoint having access to a plane, going to and from a district, makes a lot of sense,” Boehner, R-Ohio, said. "The question is about what’s reasonable to expect the taxpayers to pick up."

A plane with security for the House speaker is nothing new. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Pentagon agreed to provide a military plane to House Speaker Dennis Hastert to and from his district in Illinois. Hastert flew in a C-20, a small commuter-sized jet.

House Sergeant at Arms Bill Livingood, who is responsible for the speaker's security, advised Pelosi in December that the Air Force had made an airplane available to her predecessor. But because her congressional district is in California, Pelosi and her aides said she needs a larger plane that can fly coast to coast without refueling. The C-32 she requested is about the size of a Boeing 757-200 and has seating for 42 on it.

"It's not a question of size, it's a question of distance," Pelosi said Wednesday. "We want an aircraft that can reach California."

But not everyone is willing to support the use of a large jet by the speaker.

"This is not about having secure communications and secure aircraft available to her. It's about an arrogance of extravagance that demands a jumbo jet that costs $22,000 an hour to operate to taxi her and her buddies back and forth to California," Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam of Florida told FOX News.

Asked how much is too much to spend on Pelosi's security, Snow refused to take the bait.

“I don’t believe she’s asking to be put on the space shuttle,” he said.

Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., took a dig at the speaker in an amendment to legislation seeking to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

"The Congress also finds that in order to lessen United States dependence on foreign sources of petroleum, and decrease demand for petroleum in aircraft, such as passenger planes with 42 business class seats capable of transcontinental flights, the nation must diversify its fuel supply for aircraft to include domestically produced alternative fuels," reads the new language.

On Capitol Hill, Pelosi, surrounded by reporters, called all the attention to the story "strange" and accused the Pentagon of leaking details of the issue to the press in retaliation for her strong criticism of Iraq war policy.

Noting that former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld "still has a desk in the Pentagon," Pelosi suggested that because she has been a "constant critic of the war in Iraq," the Pentagon was motivated "go public about a conversation on an issue that applied to a previous speaker."

Pelosi added that she doesn't actually want the additional security, but understands the need as second in the line of presidential succession. Pelosi said she would use a secure military plane if it is offered, but if not, she'll fly commercially on her own.

"I don't even like having the security. I would rather travel on the plane with my friends to get some work done," Pelosi said. "I like my freedom but there are certain sacrifices you have to make when you are speaker of the House."

On Wednesday, the Pentagon told Pelosi that she can't be guaranteed the larger size plane, and it would be based on availability.

Navy Cmdr. Jefrey Gordon, a Pentagon spokesman, said Wednesday that Pelosi would be offered "shuttle service for no more than 10 passengers between Washington and San Francisco only based on aircraft availability."

"This does not guarantee nonstop transport," Gordon said.

Details of the arrangements were transmitted to Pelosi in a letter, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Thursday.

"The department had discussions with Congresswoman Pelosi's staff on DOD regulations with respect to travel and yesterday transmitted to her a letter that outlined the nature of the support that we could provide," Whitman said.

Snow said the plane agreement is between the Sergeant at Arms and the Defense Department, not the White House. Pelosi said she believes Bush supports her need for added security.

"I know for certain it is not the president … he has encouraged me to get all the security I need," Pelosi said.

Besides the use of a military aircraft, top leaders on Capitol Hill are also required to be transported around Washington, D.C., in a a secure, bulletproof vehicle. That too raised eyebrows in Washington, when a government-owned sports utility vehicle on Thursday transported Pelosi, who owns her own hybrid SUV, to a House panel hearing on global warming.

FOX News' Kelly Chernenkoff and Molly Hooper and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
 

Mike

Well-known member
Times, consequences, and considerations are quite different today than they were even just a year or two ago.

You're still stupid....................
 

TexasBred

Well-known member
Thursday, February 08, 2007 | 8:37 AM
ABCNews

(2/08/07) -- A source close to the controversy over the request made by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for use of a military plane that can fly to and from her home district in San Francisco without having to stop to refuel, told ABC News that the Pentagon has rebuffed Pelosi's request.

The source said that Pentagon officials and the Bush administration have instead offered Pelosi use of the same plane made available to former Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.: a C-20, which seats about 12 passengers and five crew members.

A C-20 can make the 700-mile flight to Hastert's Aurora, Ill., district easily but would generally have to stop to refuel to complete the 2,800-mile trip from Washington, D.C. to the San Francisco Bay Area, depending on the headwinds.

Pelosi has expressed concern about having to stop and refuel, primarily for security reasons, her office said. Since 9/11, the speaker of the House -- second in line behind the vice president to succeed the president -- has received what the Air Force refers to as "shuttle service," the use of military planes to travel for security reasons. Hastert used a C-20, the military version of the Gulf Stream 3 business jet, a twin-engine turbo-fan aircraft that seats 12 passengers with a crew of five.
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Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. J.D. Gordon outlined the rules and restrictions governing Speaker Pelosi's use of the C-20:

No more than 10 passengers (C-20's seat only 12 passengers, not including up to 5 crew members);

No travel to political events;

Members of the speaker's family cannot fly unless the speaker makes a request in writing. The Pelosi family has to reimburse the U.S. Treasury for the cost of a coach ticket per person for the travel, as well as for any food;

Members of Congress cannot fly on the plane unless their travel has been cleared with the House Committee on Standards (the Ethics Committee);

Pelosi's husband can travel for free, but only for official protocol purposes.

In response to the Pentagon's offer, Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly told ABC News, "We appreciate the Defense Department's continuing concern for the speaker's security. We are reviewing their letter."

Pelosi: I Want an Aircraft That Will Reach California

Earlier today, Pelosi responded to Republican critics who have accused her of making unreasonable demands on the Pentagon for a luxurious airplane her Republican predecessor never requested.

"I want an aircraft that will reach California," Pelosi told reporters Wednesday afternoon, insisting that she doesn't care what kind of plane it is as long as it can fly nonstop to her home district.

Pelosi said news reports suggesting that she seeks a lavish jet suggest a "misrepresentation that could only be coming from the administration. One would wonder why the practice deemed to be necessary from a security standpoint would be mischaracterized in the press. I know that it's not coming from the president, because he impressed upon me the amount of security I need to have."

Because the C-20 generally would need to stop and refuel to make it all the way to the Bay Area, Pelosi requested a plane that could make it to California without having to stop along the way, and asked for clarification from the Pentagon about whether friends and colleagues could accompany her.

Various Republican officials in recent days have claimed that Pelosi has requested a C-32 plane for her travels -- a luxurious and specially configured version of the Boeing 757-200 commercial intercontinental airliner. The plane seats 45 passengers with business-class accommodations and a crew of up to 16, depending on the mission. It features a communications center, a fully enclosed stateroom for the primary passenger, a changing area, a conference facility, an entertainment system, and a convertible divan that seats three and folds out to a bed. The C-32 can cost as much as $22,000 an hour to operate. It's normally used by the first lady, the vice president, Cabinet officials and members of Congress upon request.

"Just a month into the new Democratic majority, we are talking about the costs of an arrogance of office," said Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam of Florida at a briefing for reporters Tuesday. "The same week she is talking about fiscal responsibility, she is requesting a jumbo jet to taxi her back and forth from her district, something that is a major deviation from the previous speaker. Certainly, it is the interest of someone who is in the presidential succession to have access to a secure aircraft, but this is not a routine military charter flight. This is Air Force Three."

Late Wednesday afternoon, one of Pelosi's closest allies in the House, Rep. John Murtha, D-Penn., chairman of the key Appropriations Committee subcommittee on defense, told CNN that the Pentagon was making "a mistake" by leaking information unfavorable to the speaker "since she decides on the allocations for the Department of Defense."

I'll C-20 and Raise You

House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., seems to be the one who first publicly raised the notion that the plane Pelosi requested is the C-32.

"I understand on this particular airplane there is a bedroom," Blunt said.

"I hadn't heard that," Putnam said.

"There is a stateroom," Blunt said. "It is kind of a flying Lincoln bedroom."

A Blunt aide said he first heard that the plane Pelosi requested had a bedroom on CNN's "Lou Dobbs" Monday evening. "She could take a circus with her, for crying out loud," Dobbs said.

A Democratic aide maintained that this was all nonsense.

"The Republicans and the administration are intentionally mischaracterizing this," the aide said. "This is a security issue, and that's it. They've got nothing else to talk about so they make this up."

The Hastert Precedent

The controversy began in December 2006, when House Sergeant at Arms Bill Livingood first told Pelosi that the Air Force had made an airplane available to Hastert to travel to and from his district after 9/11.

But, Livingood said in a statement, he "was uncertain of the rules and guidelines governing use of the plane" so he called the Pentagon and Air Force to seek clarification of the guidelines. Subsequently, several members of Pelosi's staff and members of the Office of the Sergeant at Arms met with officials from the Pentagon and the Air Force liaison office to discuss the rules and guidelines that governed Hastert's use of a plane.

On Feb. 1, unnamed administration and congressional sources leaked to the Washington Times that Pelosi was "seeking regular military flights not only for herself and her staff but also for relatives and for other members of the California delegation. A knowledgeable source called the request 'carte blanche for an aircraft any time.'"

On Tuesday, Feb. 6, House Republican leaders began accusing Pelosi of arrogance and hypocrisy, and calling the plane "Pelosi One."

Pelosi and her aides said all she cares about is that the plane is able to fly direct to her home district in San Francisco without having to stop and refuel. Capt. Herb McConnell, the spokesman for the 89th Airlift wing at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, said the C-20 is sometimes "able to make a coast-to-coast flight at times during the year, but not when there are strong headwinds such as during the winter."

Rewarding Supporters?

Republican leaders have also stated -- with no tangible evidence -- that Pelosi wants to use the plane to reward financial contributors.

"She was offered the same aircraft that the previous speaker had," Putnam said yesterday. "It sat 12 people, and she refused it, didn't think it was big enough for all of her friends and supporters. In fact, she specifically requested that supporters be able to travel."

Said Blunt, "If you can take your supporters in the air on a government plane, that is a pretty big perk to be able to offer, I would think, whether you are the speaker or anybody else."

Putnam said that this was hypocritical, since "this just after we passed a ban on flying on corporate aircraft and a ban on flying with lobbyists, and yet she is requesting that supporters/lobbyists be allowed to fly on a military aircraft that the taxpayers are picking up the tab for," Putnam said. He called for Pelosi to provide public manifests of the itineraries and costs of the flight, which one congressional source said might cost as much as $22,000 an hour to operate, and to provide some way for the public to make sure political contributors weren't receiving free trips at taxpayers' expense.

Pelosi's office denied that she wanted anyone to be able to travel on the plane other than those Hastert was able to bring along -- security, staff, family and members of Congress going to the same airport.

"It has nothing to do with family and friends and everything to do with security," Pelosi said Wednesday. The sergeant at arms, she said, thinks "there is a need for this security. They have asked for it to continue. It is up to the Air Force and administration to do that."

Democrats suspected Bush administration operatives of stoking the flames of what Democrats deem a nonstory. The White House today was asked if it's "a good idea" for Pelosi to "have a large government military jet available to her to go back and forth to California?"

"After Sept. 11, the Department of Defense --

with the consent of the White House -- agreed that the speaker of the House should have military transport," replied White House spokesman Tony Snow. "And so what is going on is that the Department of Defense is going through its rules and regulations and having conversations with the speaker about it. So Speaker Hastert had access to military aircraft and Speaker Pelosi will, too."

The White House deferred all questions about the size of the plane to the Pentagon.

Air Force spokeswoman Lt. Col Cathy Reardon tells ABC News that when Hastert used the plane, "it was himself, and he usually had one to three staff members and two security staff -- members of the Capitol police force. His wife would sometimes fly, and he reimbursed the government for everyone," paying the government for the cost of a commercial flight to the same place. Hastert's office did not return a call for comment.

Reardon recalls that "shuttle service" began when as a result of 9/11 all commercial airports were closed. "It was a time of great uncertainty, so right after 9/11, Speaker Hastert requested from the Department of Defense airlift support because of airport closures and his position" in presidential succession.

"In 2003, the increased security environment and his vulnerability in a commercial airport led to agreements with DOD for him to use 89th Airlift Wing assets," Reardon says.

A Fourth Option?

There are four types of planes available at the 89th Airlift wing, at nearby Andrews Air Force Base -- the C-20 Hastert once used, C-21s which are even smaller than the C-20 and thus not able to fly nonstop to San Francisco, and the fabled C-32.

There is also the C-37A -- a military version of the Gulf Stream 5, which is about the same size as the C-20, but is able to fly nonstop to California. One military source who asked not to be identified says that it may be that Pelosi and her aides were shown a C-37A and didn't understand that it was different and more potent than a C-20, since they look so similar.

Would Pelosi be willing to use a smaller plane than the lavish C-32 as long as it could fly coast to coast?

"Yes," said a Pelosi aide.

Z Byron Wolf, Dean Norland and Luis Martinez contributed to this report.
(Copyright ©2009 ABC News Internet Ventures.)

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Anonymous

Guest
hypocritexposer said:
Here are Pelosi's travel records!

http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2009/Airforce_pelosi_documents_12_2008.pdf

I'm sure since your fair and impartial- and want to live by your name- you'll get us Speaker Hasterts travel records too- eh :???: :wink:
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
In the meantime, read up on your Sister Pelosi.

http://www.judicialwatch.org/news/2009/mar/judicial-watch-uncovers-documents-detailing-pelosis-repeated-requests-military-travel
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Mike said:
Times, consequences, and considerations are quite different today than they were even just a year or two ago.

Oh I agree- The Speaker of the House is now a (D), not an (R), and they live in California and not in Illinois...And we know things that are justifiable for (R's) is to be condemned and politicized by rightwingernuts when (D's) do the same..... :wink: :p :p :lol:
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Haven't found any records for Hastert yet. But I'm still looking. For some reason there seems to be more of a concern, pertaining to Democrat spending!


Speaker Pelosi came under fire in 2007 for requesting a 42-seat Air Force carrier to ferry the Speaker and her staff back and forth between San Francisco, CA and Washington, DC. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was allowed access to a 12-seat commuter jet for security reasons after the events of 9/11.

"Taken together, these documents show that Speaker Pelosi treats the Air Force like her personal airline," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "Not only does Speaker Pelosi issue unreasonable requests for military travel, but her office seems unconcerned about wasting taxpayer money with last minute cancellations and other demands."
 
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