If you still trust the folks in the administration, I have some land I can sell you at a great price.

 

Claim: Price did nothing that policy didn’t allow.

Fact: Federal Travel Regulations say that officials can use a charter flight if “no scheduled commercial airline service is reasonably available (i.e., able to meet your departure and/or arrival requirements within a 24-hour period, unless you demonstrate that extraordinary circumstances require a shorter period) to fulfill your agency’s travel requirement.”

Truth: Price could have quite easily and much more cheaply used commercial airlines, as his predecessors did.

 

Claim: Price was on official business.

Fact: He was mixing business with pleasure. At least two flights were to places where he owns a home (how many does he have?)

Truth: Bad judgment at minimum, especially when he was flying in several days before any official event.

 

Claim: He’s paying it back.

Fact: According to Politico, the total cost of flying Price and his support staff and others was more than $400,000.

Truth: Price has said that “Today, I will write a personal check to the US Treasury for the expenses of my travel on private charter planes. The taxpayers won’t pay a dime for my seat on those planes.” Yes, he is paying the price of one person traveling ($51,887.31) a sum not even close to the total cost.

 

What a scam.

 

Sources

NPR | Price to pay for portion of charter flight costs

NY Times | Spokeswoman Cites ‘Demanding Schedule’ for Health Secretary’s Use of Private Jets

Politico | Price’s private-jet travels included visits with colleagues, lunch with son