GSA Scandal: John Mica, House Republican, Says Official Billed Extra Night In Las Vegas After Conference

WASHINGTON — A House Republican whose committee is investigating a lavish conference held by the General Services Administration says a high-ranking official with the embattled agency spent an extra night in Las Vegas after the conference at taxpayer expense.

The big-spending conference has resulted in a shake-up of the leadership of the agency, which is in charge of the federal government's real estate.

The GSA has been under fire from Congress after its inspector general reported last week that the agency spent $820,000 for a Las Vegas conference in 2010. The head of the agency resigned, two deputies were fired and other employees were suspended.

The latest development was reported by Rep. John Mica, a Florida Republican who chairs the House Transportation Committee. He said details of the additional spending were in a GSA inspector general's report.

Mica said in a statement Tuesday night that the official billed three nights as government travel and paid the government rate of $93 for fourth night. Mica said the extra cost of the suite, which cost more than $1,000 a night, "was apparently charged to the taxpayer."

Mica called news about the extra day of vacation costing taxpayers was "icing on the cake." Rep. Jeff Denham, chairman of a subcommittee on economic development, public buildings and emergency management, said adding "personal vacation stays in Vegas" to the spending by GSA on the Las Vegas conference was "outrageous."

Mica and Denham will lead a congressional oversight hearing on GSA's use of tax money next week.

The GSA has said it welcomed the hearings, saying it has taken disciplinary action against those responsible and accepted all the IG's recommendations. The agency said it looks forward "to working with the committees reviewing this matter." A message Tuesday night seeking agency comment about Mica's statement was not immediately returned.

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Comments

[dbrett480]

07:19 PM on 04/12/2012

From now on government conferences should be teleconferences or videoconferences.

[madcityy]

03:20 PM on 04/11/2012

trueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

demmmmmmmmmmm / libsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

[asiclilpup]

11:54 AM on 04/11/2012

CAUTION---lots-o- slippery droolage and spewage on the floor here by the trawlies !

[asiclilpup]

11:53 AM on 04/11/2012

mica and issa have found a slam dunk winning item in their persuit of the Dem party. Woo Hooo--the IG was already taking care of it.

[sweetneocon]

10:38 AM on 04/11/2012

This has received scant coverage in the establishment media. I wonder if the coverage would be similar if we had a Republican president???

[boomer7391]

11:48 AM on 04/11/2012

scant? really? i remember the republicans hired hookers and strippers at their boondoggle ... oops guess that was redundant......the dems hired clowns...go figger....

[waterhound2]

12:13 PM on 04/13/2012

Of course you remember that............ ALL the liberal Media reported on THAT.......... NOT this........... this wasn't a HuffPost Headline....imagine that HAHA Liberal Hypocrits

[boomer7391]

04:15 PM on 04/13/2012

HA HA HA...imagine this....you're a liar......HA HA HA.....there are about 20 pages of articles just on this site alone you effin fool...you were a C- student weren't you....young?....you haven't learned to look up your answer before you give it.....HA HA HA HA...fool....as a matter of fact i'm on lunch now watching msnbc and they're trashing it....HA HA HA

[KCPhaeton]

10:35 AM on 04/11/2012

You can't blame George Bush for something that you and your administration is responsible for as American's are too smart for your Ponzi game of blame. The blogs are full of your record and we will have to educate America as this article from the the Politico in 2009 does.



"OBAMA TAKES ANOTHER DIG AT LAS VEGAS"

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/79279-obama-takes-another-dig-at-las-vegas



"Obama said that people should not "blow a bunch of cash in Vegas" during a tough recession."



I guess since Obama made the statement in 2009 its now Happy Times are Here Again in America!



He also said at the time.

""You can't get corporate jets. You can't go take that trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers' dime,"



Well tell that to Warren Buffet and his Net Jets that are not paying their fair share of taxes. Seems that Obama wants the Buffet rule for wealthy Americans. He needs to get Mr. Buffet to start paying his taxes. Seems that Buffet avoids taxes buy not issueing dividends on his stock. Hmm... He has the game figured out.

[meg8907]

10:35 AM on 04/11/2012

This is an example of the kind of government Liberals are proponents of. See what you get when you put a bunch of them into government positions and protect them with public sector unions. No thanks.

[meg8907]

10:33 AM on 04/11/2012

Why hasn't the "so quick to blame and accuse" white house had anything to say about this? Its Obama's people doing it. I'd like an apology from HIM.

[Russ Nielsen]

10:30 AM on 04/11/2012

GSA has been implementing a new procurement policy that favors two large contractors and 13 small ones while causing massive layoffs and business closures at hundreds of other small businesses throughout country.

GSA is receiving a kickback of a 2% fee of all the money they funnel to these few contractors. In the last two years, GSA received a kickback of $9,463,066 from these 15 contractors on total sales of $473,153,324.00!

stopFSSI.org – 4949 St. Elmo Ave., Suite 221, Bethesda, MD 20814‐6067
(301) 652‐7410 – [e-mail] – www.stopFSSI.org

[David Hundley]

10:14 AM on 04/11/2012

This always comes back to the question. Who's minding the store?
http://rt.com/news/gallup-polls-clifton-americans-753/
Tax payer money just being pilfered.

[meg8907]

10:33 AM on 04/11/2012

Hopefully Romney will soon.

[asiclilpup]

11:50 AM on 04/11/2012

Joke of the day !!

[wa0cal]

10:09 AM on 04/11/2012

This kind of abuse of taxpayer money needs to stop and all involved need to be imprisoned. I am sure that there are more governmental departments guilty of the same thing.

[hapy2day]

09:52 AM on 04/11/2012

I wonder if this is the Obama administration making amends to Las Vegas after critizing corporations for going there for conventions...

[appeallawy]

09:52 AM on 04/11/2012

Is there a move afoot to get the attendees to reimburse the Government? Why not?
Is there a move afoot to indict Jon Corzine for embezzlement, larceny and fraud? Why not?
Is there a move afoot to investigate Congressional expenditures on the over 1000 offices maintained by members? Why not?
Is there a move afoot to investigate the use of Government money, employees, etc., in providing "constituent services" that, in effect, is campaigning? Why not?
Is there a move afoot to link expenditures of Government money to some sort of cost-benefit analysis? Why not?

[Brian1111]

10:22 AM on 04/11/2012

Who's our Attorney General? Eric Holder?

[appeallawy]

10:29 AM on 04/11/2012

Assuming this is a serious question - Eric Holder is the Attorney General of the United States and yes he's an Obama appointee and yes, on his own authority, he could authorize investigations of, among others, Jon Corzine. What he could do about Congressional expenditures is less clear and cost-benefit is, definitely, outside his remit.

[Sean 6399]

09:25 AM on 04/11/2012

This is the democrat dream of a massive muscular federal government with the power and authority to "fix" everything, with no concern whatsoever for limits, or fiscal restraint. This is the direct result of that stupid fantasy.

But it would all be fine, if you could just extract a little more wealth from those "greedy" people, right?

[hapy2day]

09:25 AM on 04/11/2012

This is digusting. Government is out of control with no respect for the hard earned taxpayer money they spend. Enough of this crap already.