Pelosi Made Repeated Requests for Military Aircraft, Documents Show – FOXNews.com — Heaven forbid she does not at least try to show some restraint in bad economic times.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly requested military aircraft to shuttle her and her colleagues and family around the country, according to a new report from a conservative watchdog group.
Representatives for Judicial Watch, which obtained e-mails and other documents from a Freedom of Information request, said the correspondence shows Pelosi has abused the system in place to accommodate congressional leaders and treated the Air Force as her “personal airline.”
Pelosi’s office disputed the claim, pointing to White House policy enacted after the Sept. 11 attacks allowing for the House speaker to travel to his or her congressional district via military aircraft whenever possible for security reasons. Her office said she typically uses the same kind of aircraft used by her predecessor, Dennis Hastert.
But Judicial Watch said that Pelosi was notorious for making special demands for high-end aircraft, lodging last-minute cancellations and racking up additional expenses for the military.
Found by Joe Carlson.
Illustration by Linda Eddy.
no worst than anyone else.
Flying commercial is only for the little people who pay the taxes. So much for the House of Representatives being “the people’s house.”
They all need to be term-limited and be stripped of their fat, bloated pensions. Every one of them.
It’s probably safer for everyone else that she doesn’t fly commercial, less likely her plane will end up flying into some ducks.
Let the Queen of Congress have her craft…that 747 of hers is cramping her style!
Gee… politicians wasting our money.
Think blogging about it will make any difference?
They’ll do whatever they damned well please.
I mentioned this to a friend, and he says it’s some head of security for the House that requested the planes. As much as I’d like to believe it’s Pelosi, anyone fact check this? I’m too tired to right now.
“Think blogging about it will make any difference?”
If enough people complain about this, yes.
My beef isn’t with Pelosi specifically. It’s the entire lot of them, and the problem has been building for decades. These are our representatives, and (maybe with a handful of exceptions?) they all feel superior to the rest of us. This is way different than what the Founding Fathers had in mind. The House was supposed to be for the regular folks, who had a job or business and went off to represent the locals for a few years. Instead it has become a lifelong career, with enormous pensions and benefits. Plus the opportunity to amass a great deal of wealth by trading favors.
Like I said, term limit every one of them and eliminate all pensions. If they don’t like it, tough titty. We are paying their bloated salaries.
Now that Pelosi and Boxer are out of SF it’s your problem now..
Be afraid be very afraid.
absolute power corrupts absolutely.
“It is my understanding there are NO G5s available for the House during the Memorial Day recess. This is totally unacceptable … The Speaker will want to know where the planes are,” King wrote (King is a Pelosi aide).
A G5 is the sweetest ride. The military version is called the C-37A and carries 12 passengers with 5 flight crew and has a range of 6000 miles. Commercial and military grade communications is on board, which I suppose is the excuse for the Speaker to use whenever possible.
But ain’t it nice to have a plane waiting for you at Andrews AFB, instead of fighting traffic out to Dulles in time to meet your flight.
Why is it that the worst of the crop rises to the top?
Look at Pelosi. She is nothing but a liability to the Democratic party. Boxer and Reid aren’t any better.
Let’s not even talk about Bush and Company. I don’t wanna puke.
The jury’s still out for me on Obama. One thing in his favor is that he HAS changed his stand on some important things since his election. Unlike Bush, he can change direction.
I’m hoping for good things when he actually takes control of Congress away from the demigods Pelosi and company.
Can he do it? After all, Pelosi and Co. were able to shove Porkulus bills right through the Oval Office. Hopefully this will stop as he gains momentum.
I believe this will define Obama as much as anything. Can the Johnny Come Lately Junior Senator Who Became President put the power hungry in his own party in their right place?
Vote all incumbents OUT OF OFFICE.
So simple. Yet its not done.
I agree. Time for a clean slate.
By the People and for the People?
HA!
I see… so the #3 in the government should fly commercial air.
Idiots. She may be bitching about which jet to fly, but one of the government security requirements is that she, #3 in line of succession, MUST ride a secure jet, with the ability to be contacted in the event of a national emergency.
The simple answer would be for the speaker to have a designated air force 3. or 4 and a half.
You may not like HER, but you have to accept her OFFICE is important, jackasses.
BUY the people?
J/P=?
#18 John.
Yea, that it!!
Check this out: http://www.reteaparty.com and click on the link “Listen Now” under “ReTeaParty PodCast Week 2”.
This is a party agnostic movement- people are awakening to the fact that no one in Washington is listening/serving their constituents.
Typical abuse of power. As some have said, no worse then anyone else I am sure.
This is not only not news – it was debunked ages ago:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/pelosi/jet.asp
Fox News should change their motto to something a little more accurate like “Your best source of misinformation”
#17 Jim
So name a speaker of the house before her that got their own plane on demand? Her idiot staff reserve planes almost every weekend and then don’t use them tying up valuable assets just because that f*ing queen c*nt wants to fly her family around on our dime.
“#3 in line of succession, MUST ride a secure jet”
I don’t get it. Are you claiming that commercial jets aren’t secure? With air phones and onboard internet she can’t be in constant communications?
I’m defending #17. A lot of policies were rewritten after 9/11. A military aircraft has a lot more options than a commercial flight. Perhaps the policies drafted in a time of panic needs revisiting. Let me state I’m registered independent.
You people need to stop ripping each other apart and focus on just living the next few years. It’s going to get worse, and you may need that neighbor, regardless of his voter registration. How do you think people survived in the 1930’s? It starts at home, it starts in your community. If anyone is just sitting on their ass waiting for Washington to rescue them, you’re screwed.
The bitching isn’t about the 757 or G-V that she uses. The post 9/11 regs forced that. What the beef is about is that she thinks the entire Air Force is her on call air shuttle service for not only her but her staff.
Here’s some perspective relative to the last Speaker:
http://archives.californiaaviation.org/legislative/msg09264.html
#25–Alfie==you invigorate me. When cats and dogs lie down with one another, when idiots on the left and the right agree with one another, when religious nutbags and anti-theists see eye to eye===surely the issue must be settled?
#24, Mr. Dimwit,
#17 Jim
So name a speaker of the house before her that got their own plane on demand?
Dennis Hasert. (R-Il)
# 35 Mr. Fusion said, “Dennis Hasert. (R-Il)”
Yes, and no. Pelosi is using the craft differently than Dennis did. See the link above.
#32, gig,
The bitching isn’t about the 757 or G-V that she uses. The post 9/11 regs forced that. What the beef is about is that she thinks the entire Air Force is her on call air shuttle service for not only her but her staff.
Could you show something that shows she even uses a 757?
#36, Cow-Paddy, Ignorant Shit Talking Sociopath, Retired Mall Rent-A-Cop, Pretend Constitutional Scholar, Fake California Labor Law Expert, Pseudo Military Historian, Phony Climate Scientist, Leading Troll Extraordinare, Asstrologist, Unintelligent Designer, Cyber Eggspert, Goofy Geographer, Failed Poopcycle Stand Promoter, and President of the “I Hate America Club”
Pelosi is using the craft differently than Dennis did. See the link above.
Your ignorance never ceases. That reprint was written February, 2007. That you couldn’t source the original piece is concerning.
Regardless, that was still less than three months after Pelosi became the Speaker.It was the White House that decided thew Speaker would travel on Air Force planes.
We still wonder why you hate America so much.