Leavitt in hot seat over use of leased jet

[WhiteTara]

http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3938864
WASHINGTON - House Democrats on Wednesday demanded that Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt turn over records detailing his use of a leased jet he reportedly flew on 19 times to travel to 99 cities, including a trip to Utah in March.
Leavitt, a former three-term governor of Utah, defended his actions. He told the House Ways and Means Committee his use of the leased jet was approved by Congress last year and was essential to his mission of helping prepare for a flu pandemic and encouraging seniors to enroll in a new drug benefit.
snip
"What he did is illegal. He was using a plane that was set aside for the Centers for Disease Control to be used as what you and I would think of as a medevac plane for anthrax attacks and that sort of thing," Stark said in an interview. Congress ''certainly did not mention using it on something that would be a public relations trip."
snip
Leavitt spent about 200 hours in the air, at a cost to taxpayers of $720,000.
snip
The CDC uses the jet for quick response to ship samples to labs for testing, deliver vaccines or ship scientists to the location of a potential outbreak to investigate - all situations where time is crucial, said CDC spokesman Tom Skinner.

[midnight]

1. Talk about our health care being up in the air.

That is such a waste.

[wordpix2]

7. $720K would have covered a number of people without health care insurance

[robinlynne]

2. I say pay it back. all of them halliburton, kbr, republican scumbags

need to pay back the american people for everything they have stolen and go to jail.

[wordpix2]

8. agree, send to jail and liquidate their assets back to the Treasury under

a Dem administration

[TomInTib]

3. My mother has a GS IV and I will guarantee you that the costs

are much higher than that.

They are factoring per/hour costs, not the costs of maintaining a full-time crew and all the attenuate costs involved..

[Erika]

4. Leavitt was also involved in the Olympic scandals in Utah

These people (Mormons)just don't know what's right and wrong when it comes to perks from the government.

It's a dangerous obmission of responsibility or accountability on their part. And their sheeple philosophy.

[WhiteTara]

5. kicking cause this needs to be known

:kick:

[Judi Lynn]

6. Kick!

:kick: :kick: :kick:



Gov. Leavitt

[formercia]

9. So, what happens if they sudenly need the aircraft

and the Secretary is off on some boondoggle.