Schiff and Hoyer book pricey taxpayer-funded military jet to Europe for speeches
by Steven Nelson
| June 27, 2019 03:50 PM
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., are scheduled to take a taxpayer-funded military jet to Denmark to give speeches at a ritzy pro-democracy conference, raising questions about possible misuse of resources.
Rather than book cheaper commercial flights, Schiff, Hoyer, and at least three House colleagues are scheduled to depart Joint Base Andrews on the military plane around 8:45 p.m. Thursday.
Schiff’s Friday speech kicks off a six-day Nordic jaunt that he will lead, according to an unclassified but confidential itinerary seen by the Washington Examiner. Schiff, at least four colleagues, and two committee staff also will stop in Finland and Norway.
All official travel is reimbursed for lawmakers, but commercial flights are less expensive than military charters. Hoyer won’t stay with Schiff after Denmark, instead traveling to Ukraine, Hungary, and Luxembourg on the military plane. It’s unclear how many lawmakers will accompany Hoyer.
A draft itinerary for Schiff’s trip said the California Democrat “will lead†his CODEL and warns the document “should not be made public without the explicit permission of the head of the delegation.â€
An intelligence committee staffer attributed the military flight booking to Hoyer, saying Schiff is simply “joining†the Maryland Democrat. The staffer was unable to prove Hoyer requested the flight, but in a statement, Hoyer spokeswoman Mariel Saez said Hoyer's stops required the jet.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/schiff-and-hoyer-book-pricey-taxpayer-funded-military-jet-to-europe-for-speeches
