Justice Dept Audit Shows Lavish Overspending: Coconut Lobster Skewers, $4 Swedish Meatballs

AP   |   September 15, 2007 11:33 AM


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It doesn't rival the Pentagon's $600 toilet seat, but the Justice Department can fork over a mean $4 meatball.

An internal Justice audit, released Friday, showed the department spent nearly $7 million to plan, host or send employees to 10 conferences over the last two years. This included paying $4 per meatball at one lavish dinner and spreading an average of $25 worth of snacks around to each participant at a movie-themed party.

There was plenty, too, for those needing to satisfy a sweet tooth.

More than $13,000 was spent on cookies and brownies for 1,542 people who attended a four-day "Weed and Seed" conference in August 2005, according to the audit by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine. And a "networking" session replete with butterfly shrimp, coconut lobster skewers and Swedish meatballs at a Community Oriented Policing Services conference in July 2006 cost more than $60,000.

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- msfiskvletterman See Profile I'm a Fan of msfiskvletterman permalink

9/16/07
10:55am
Burlington

They should have $10. meatballs if they're getting the job done.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:54 AM on 09/16/2007
- maxcat06 See Profile I'm a Fan of maxcat06 permalink

Justice Department = Just Us Department

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:29 AM on 09/16/2007
- duboisist See Profile I'm a Fan of duboisist permalink

"... released Friday ..."

FRIDAY?
As in his last day, farewell ceremony, FRIDAY?
AS in slinking out of office, while the nation grieves 9/11 and debates the Iraq war, (even when he was directly involved in controversies surrounding both), FRIDAY?

I'm surprised the report was released on FRIDAY, but I'm not surprised about ANYTHING ELSE. What else is the Justice Department leadership GOING TO SPEND MONEY ON when they aren't trying to FIX ELECTIONS?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:47 AM on 09/16/2007
- duboisist See Profile I'm a Fan of duboisist permalink

The release on Friday does show 2 things:

1. There are STILL some people in DOJ with HAVE INTEGRITY who could write the report
2. The people who released it on Friday, either have a sense of humor, or gave the American people one last F--- --U.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:53 AM on 09/16/2007
- Defyant See Profile I'm a Fan of Defyant permalink

So what else is new?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:13 AM on 09/16/2007
- ornery See Profile I'm a Fan of ornery permalink

CSpan broadcast the "farewell ceremony" for Alberto.

Rather cloying, saccharine, cliched, overlong series of ass-kissing subordinates.

Funny, during it all, Alberto looked rather uncomfortable.

Like, maybe, he knows really bad things are coming which will stand all those platitudes on their heads and show him up as the most corrupt AG since John Mitchell.

Send in cadaver dogs, lots of skeletons under the floor boards, plastered in recesses in the walls in DOJ.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:11 AM on 09/16/2007
- ornery See Profile I'm a Fan of ornery permalink

What are Alberto's plans after Monday?

Maybe they include a diet??

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:07 AM on 09/16/2007
- Wilburrr See Profile I'm a Fan of Wilburrr permalink

so let's see... if my math is correct, that's only about $.86 per disenfranchised voter? That's a pretty cheap celebration...

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:48 PM on 09/15/2007
- ramal See Profile I'm a Fan of ramal permalink

Ah, but as the typical Nebraskian (or any other deeply red stater) might say, "At least it was for a meeting where they were trying to keep them queers from marrying or to keep them unborn babies from being killt." Holy Jeebus, what a country!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:06 PM on 09/15/2007
- azhiker See Profile I'm a Fan of azhiker permalink

NOTHING is tooooooo good for Abu Gonzales. People in America are starving because of them and BOOOOsh says, "let them eat cake". Shamelss RepubliCONs.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:54 PM on 09/15/2007
- average joe See Profile I'm a Fan of average joe permalink

What did the clintons due with the 50'000 a nigth sleepovers.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:23 PM on 09/15/2007
- MadCow See Profile I'm a Fan of MadCow permalink

"What did the clintons due with the 50'000 a night sleepovers."

Dude, I don't know what they dued with it. All I know is that they were tacky tacky tacky to have rented out the WH beds. It's just that the sleepover charges were paid by the people who slept over -- it wasn't your or my tax money. Big difference.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:43 PM on 09/15/2007
- azhiker See Profile I'm a Fan of azhiker permalink

Back to RNC talking point #1 Bill Clinton did it. HA HA HA Stupid RNC trolls. HA HA HA

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:55 PM on 09/15/2007
- naschkatze See Profile I'm a Fan of naschkatze permalink

The Department of Defense must have recommended the caterer.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:02 PM on 09/15/2007
- getoffmedz See Profile I'm a Fan of getoffmedz permalink

Nice.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:02 PM on 09/15/2007
- Graywolf48 See Profile I'm a Fan of Graywolf48 permalink

This is just one government department. Do you have any idea how widespread this is? And it continues unabated because there is no outrage and no oversight. The aim of the Neocons is to completely bankrupt the government so what remains can be "drowned in a bath tub." If this story is reported by the MSM at all, it will be on a back page and will disappear in short order. America is done, finished. The damage this administration has done may never be repaired. The monies that have been looted will never be recovered. The billions that just "disappeared" in Iraq aren't even discussed any more. In business, people are fired for losing or stealing just a few dollars. In government you can steal or squander billions and get rewarded with a "well done" or a Medal of Freedom. These guys are laughing all the way to the bank! And the American voter just sighs and tunes into American Idol.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:33 PM on 09/15/2007
- MadCow See Profile I'm a Fan of MadCow permalink


These two definitely are chuckling at this: Chavez and Fidel. For propaganda purposes, our media/government quite often invent stories about their wasting or stealing poor people's money -- and here we get a glimpse of our own pigs gorging themselves at the gourmet trough at US taxpayers' expense.
Eat that, trolls.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:26 PM on 09/15/2007
- Kungfublood See Profile I'm a Fan of Kungfublood permalink

Oh wait to answer my own question these must have been the ones missing from the democrats in Congress yes that would explain the price as well as the behavior of the Democrats except Kucinich and a very few others who are willing have actual views that are based on their own experience instead of the ape-pac and co.!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:01 PM on 09/15/2007
- Kungfublood See Profile I'm a Fan of Kungfublood permalink

Yeah he acted like a $4 Meatball when I saw him lying to Congress during the idiotic confirmation "hearings", for that matter Rudy sounds like a 30$ meatball. Yet people take his slavering seriously don't they.
Just what kind of meat-balls are these anyway Rude-y?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:54 PM on 09/15/2007
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