Zinke chartered flight in oil executive's plane for $12,000: report

[ALiberalModerate]

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke chartered a flight over the summer on a private plane owned by oil and gas executives.According to a Washington Post report, the flight from Las Vegas to Kalispell, Mont. near Zinke's home in Whitefish, Mont. cost taxpayers $12,375. Commercial flights run daily between the airports and cost as little as $300.Zinke also used private planes during a trip to the Virgin Islands, according to the Post.

Read more here: Zinke chartered flight in oil executive's plane for $12,000: report | TheHill

So basically we have two ethically challenged actions here.

1. Like other members of the Trump administration, he is using extremely expensive charted flights on the taxpayer's dime.

2. He is using that taxpayer money on oil industry planes.

Once again, they are filling the swamp.

 

[Common Sense 1]

Maybe lets get all of the information before making a judgement.
Good that the IG and ethics folks are looking at any possible misuse
of taxpayer funds.

From the story:
Swift told Politico that Zinke's other flights were booked after the department was unable to find commercial flights corresponding with the secretary's schedule and that they were all pre-cleared by ethics officials in the department.

 

[MaggieD]

Read more here: Zinke chartered flight in oil executive's plane for $12,000: report | TheHill

So basically we have two ethically challenged actions here.

1. Like other members of the Trump administration, he is using extremely expensive charted flights on the taxpayer's dime.

2. He is using that taxpayer money on oil industry planes.

Once again, they are filling the swamp.

Don't try to make this a Trump problem. Abuse of expense accounts is rampant. Abuse of private flights is rampant. This didn't just start In January 2017.

Personally, I'm hoping Trump asks for Price's resignation. What a powerful message that would send. I also think he should appoint a task force to investigate expense account abuse across the board. And if each major dept within the gvmt doesn't have an expense auditing company auditing expenses monthly? They're all complicit. And I know they are.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Maybe lets get all of the information before making a judgement.
Good that the IG and ethics folks are looking at any possible misuse
of taxpayer funds.

From the story:
Swift told Politico that Zinke's other flights were booked after the department was unable to find commercial flights corresponding with the secretary's schedule and that they were all pre-cleared by ethics officials in the department.

That (bolded above) is the typical excuse but guess what? Yep, that is the way of the world, instead of making the schedule based on flight reservation availability (like everyone else does?) they are free to do the opposite and have staff schedule meetings (and trips back home) such that they "must" use first class or private charters to meet that schedule. Who, exactly, decided that was the only time that he could go home? Even if he had to fly from Las Vegas to Dallas and then back to Montana on commercial flights (or spend an extra night in Las Vegas) it would have cost far less than the charter flight.

 

[Common Sense 1]

That (bolded above) is the typical excuse but guess what? Yep, that is the way of the world, instead of making the schedule based on flight reservation availability (like everyone else does?) they are free to do the opposite and have staff schedule meetings (and trips back home) such that they "must" use first class or private charters to meet that schedule. Who, exactly, decided that was the only time that he could go home? Even if he had to fly from Las Vegas to Dallas and then back to Montana on commercial flights (or spend an extra night in Las Vegas) it would have cost far less than the charter flight.

What about: they were all pre-cleared by ethics officials in the department.

 

[Greenbeard]

What about: they were all pre-cleared by ethics officials in the department.

It does seem to be a systemic problem so that wouldn't be surprising. The entire system the administration has in place seems to be rotten.

 

[Common Sense 1]

It does seem to be a systemic problem so that wouldn't be surprising. The entire system the administration has in place seems to be rotten.

So is this a new problem that only the Trump administration has had? Just curious what you think about it?

 

[ludin]

Maybe lets get all of the information before making a judgement.
Good that the IG and ethics folks are looking at any possible misuse
of taxpayer funds.

From the story:
Swift told Politico that Zinke's other flights were booked after the department was unable to find commercial flights corresponding with the secretary's schedule and that they were all pre-cleared by ethics officials in the department.

amazing what happens when you read the entire story not just what you want.

 

[Greenbeard]

So is this a new problem that only the Trump administration has had? Just curious what you think about it?

Well we know the previous two HHS secretaries flew commercial. I can't speak to whether previous Treasury secretaries were jetting off to view eclipses or if previous Interior secretaries were chartering planes to fly home for the weekend. I suspect not but I suppose we'll find out soon enough.

 

[ludin]

Don't try to make this a Trump problem. Abuse of expense accounts is rampant. Abuse of private flights is rampant. This didn't just start In January 2017.

Personally, I'm hoping Trump asks for Price's resignation. What a powerful message that would send. I also think he should appoint a task force to investigate expense account abuse across the board. And if each major dept within the gvmt doesn't have an expense auditing company auditing expenses monthly? They're all complicit. And I know they are.

My company is hammering those right now.
It makes travel a pain in the rear end.

 

[NeverTrump]

Read more here: Zinke chartered flight in oil executive's plane for $12,000: report | TheHill

So basically we have two ethically challenged actions here.

1. Like other members of the Trump administration, he is using extremely expensive charted flights on the taxpayer's dime.

2. He is using that taxpayer money on oil industry planes.

Once again, they are filling the swamp.

I wonder if this all means that Trump is using taxpayer money to pay off his own private plane's expenses.

 

[Mr Person]

Don't try to make this a Trump problem.

Nothing is a Trump problem.

If Trump shot someone on 5th Avenue, that would be a symptom of America's violent tendencies but still not a Trump problem.

 

[NeverTrump]

Don't try to make this a Trump problem. Abuse of expense accounts is rampant. Abuse of private flights is rampant. This didn't just start In January 2017.

Personally, I'm hoping Trump asks for Price's resignation. What a powerful message that would send. I also think he should appoint a task force to investigate expense account abuse across the board. And if each major dept within the gvmt doesn't have an expense auditing company auditing expenses monthly? They're all complicit. And I know they are.

:lamo He's a hypocrite Maggie. He's a rich doctor who campaigned on fiscal responsibility. The only reason Price has the ability to travel on private jets is because Trump picked him to be HHS Secretary.

 

[Greenbeard]

:lamo He's a hypocrite Maggie. He's a rich doctor who campaigned on fiscal responsibility. The only reason Price has the ability to travel on private jets is because Trump picked him to be HHS Secretary.

He's not just rich because he was a doctor, he's rich because he engaged in insider trading based on information acquired through his "public service." We knew Price is deeply unethical before he got confirmed.

 

[fmw]

Read more here: Zinke chartered flight in oil executive's plane for $12,000: report | TheHill

So basically we have two ethically challenged actions here.

1. Like other members of the Trump administration, he is using extremely expensive charted flights on the taxpayer's dime.

2. He is using that taxpayer money on oil industry planes.

Once again, they are filling the swamp.

I agree government employees shouldn't do this. However, what does it matter that the plane belonged to an oil company?

 

[longview]

There may be a problem here but they would have to isolate out the noise.
Oil companies own planes, when they are not using the plane, they charter it out to
ease the burden of having the plane available.
Question 1 would be, did the Government official pay more (or less) for the charter of the plane
than if he had chartered the plane from some other service?
Note: this is a completely separate question from, can he justify the need to charter a plane.

 

[ttwtt78640]

What about: they were all pre-cleared by ethics officials in the department.

Hmm... the ethics staff in that department approves the action of the scheduling staff in that department so all is well in that department so long as you ask only staff in that department if it complied with its own poiicy.

 

[Common Sense 1]

Hmm... the ethics staff in that department approves the action of the scheduling staff in that department so all is well in that department so long as you ask only staff in that department if it complied with its own poiicy.

So you know for a FACT that what happened was illegal? Never mind answering because we know you don't.

 

[apdst]

Read more here: Zinke chartered flight in oil executive's plane for $12,000: report | TheHill

So basically we have two ethically challenged actions here.

1. Like other members of the Trump administration, he is using extremely expensive charted flights on the taxpayer's dime.

2. He is using that taxpayer money on oil industry planes.

Once again, they are filling the swamp.

When the Obamas took two aircraft on one vacation, you said nothing.

 

[Cardinal]

Read more here: Zinke chartered flight in oil executive's plane for $12,000: report | TheHill

So basically we have two ethically challenged actions here.

1. Like other members of the Trump administration, he is using extremely expensive charted flights on the taxpayer's dime.

2. He is using that taxpayer money on oil industry planes.

Once again, they are filling the swamp.

Isn't Pruit doing this too?

 

[VanceMack]

It does seem to be a systemic problem so that wouldn't be surprising. The entire system the administration has in place seems to be rotten.

:lamo

You people are a crack up. You have all spent the last 10 months or so since 9 November dumpster diving, crawling through sewers, digging through dumps, foraging in waste, literally covering yourself in **** and once every 4 or 5 months you pop your head and shriek "look! I found something!!!"

 

[Cardinal]

Don't try to make this a Trump problem. Abuse of expense accounts is rampant. Abuse of private flights is rampant. This didn't just start In January 2017.

Personally, I'm hoping Trump asks for Price's resignation. What a powerful message that would send. I also think he should appoint a task force to investigate expense account abuse across the board. And if each major dept within the gvmt doesn't have an expense auditing company auditing expenses monthly? They're all complicit. And I know they are.

This is something I've addressed to you before, which is that this level of abuse and waste is unusual. And it's this rampant because Trump was sent to Washington to shake it up, not to be ethical. Trump and the people he's surrounded himself with are well aware of this.

 

[Winchester]

That (bolded above) is the typical excuse but guess what? Yep, that is the way of the world, instead of making the schedule based on flight reservation availability (like everyone else does?) they are free to do the opposite and have staff schedule meetings (and trips back home) such that they "must" use first class or private charters to meet that schedule. Who, exactly, decided that was the only time that he could go home? Even if he had to fly from Las Vegas to Dallas and then back to Montana on commercial flights (or spend an extra night in Las Vegas) it would have cost far less than the charter flight.

IDK why officials don't use the if it was my money would I do this test. If they would use their own money to do such things, then I'd argue they have no business being in office as they are ****ing clueless about the plight of the people they purport to represent.

 

[Greenbeard]

:lamo

You people are a crack up. You have all spent the last 10 months or so since 9 November dumpster diving, crawling through sewers, digging through dumps, foraging in waste, literally covering yourself in **** and once every 4 or 5 months you pop your head and shriek "look! I found something!!!"

You seem to be taking it personally that these grifters are being called out.

 

[VanceMack]

You seem to be taking it personally that these grifters are being called out.

Calling out your foolishness is taking it personal?

:lamo

Methinks someone told you that was an effective debate tactic and you bought it.