More Secrecy from Cheney’s Office

[kerrygoddess]

More Secrecy from Cheney’s Office
November 29th, 2005

Vice President Dick Cheney has become known as one who likes to keep secrets. In 2001, when Cheney set up his White House Energy Task Force which facilitated our national energy policy, Cheney refused to disclose the names of oil company and other energy company executives who attended the meetings.

More recently we’ve learned that secrets about the leak of Valerie Plame’s name into the media may well have come through Cheney’s office via Scooter Libby.

Now, the government watchdog group, the Center for Public Integrity “has called attention to less noticed records that Cheney has sought to keep private: travel costs.” Could this be yet another scandal or hint of corruption to rack up on the long list of scandals and corruption from the Bush administration?

In a report this month, the nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity said Cheney and his staff have sidestepped regulations that require annual reporting of travel expenses of more than $250 received from outside groups. The center, which focuses on ethics and public service issues, said previous vice presidents routinely disclosed such payments for lodging, travel and food when the veep and his staff made appearances at colleges, think tanks and trade associations.

MORE - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=1264

[calimary]

1. Gee, I'm shocked. SHOCKED, I tell you!!!

This is simply the results of dickie-boy's advanced degrees. More of the Same. Piled Higher and Deeper. As is my loathing of him.

[afdip]

2. i'm the vice president and i can do anything i want to do . . . .

[spindrifter]

3. The thing

that ticks me off is the following quote from the WaPo:

Yet, according to the center's research, Cheney has given 23 speeches to think tanks and trade organizations and 16 at academic institutions since 2001 -- apparently all at taxpayers' expense.

"t appears that his office labels them 'official travel,' " the center said. "As a result . . . the public is kept largely unaware of where he and his staff are traveling, with whom they are meeting
and how much it costs, even though tax dollars are covering the bill."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/28/AR2005112801446.html

We get stuck paying for that jackanapes' secret travel and we make it possible for him to do his stirring presentations to the think tank slackers. We are getting suckered.

[pushycat]

5. The GAO is available to do an inquiry if anyone in congress

asked them to. Seems to me this is how the graft keeps on coming - the damn congress won't even manage travel expenses for US.

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/about.html

[cliss]

4. As if this man doesn't have enough money -

I think Dick Cheney was worth $136 million when he first stepped into the White House in 2000. He has without doubt increased his bank account since then. By a lot.

I read Architectural Digest every once in a while. About 10 years ago, the magazine featured "Dick Cheney's House" on the cover. Inside, there was a beautiful spread of his lovely house, lovely bedrooms, lovely Lynne sitting in the parlor, knitting (just kidding!)...it was all so lovely.

That's the problem with Dick. He just has to have more.