You knew government bureaucrats were living large when they hired a medium.
And this mind reader who helped government workers communicate with the dead was just the beginning of the scandal involving the General Services Administration’s $823,000 spending spree in Las Vegas.
There was also the $75,000 bicycle-building exercise, the clown show, 1,000 sushi rolls at $7 a pop, $6,325 spent on commemorative coins, $8,130 for souvenir books and 300 helpings of “Boursin Scalloped Potato with Barolo Wine Braised Short Ribs” at $5 each.
The official responsible for the 2010 soiree — Jeffrey Neely — said he wanted his conference to be “over the top.” By all accounts, he achieved his goal — and now the party’s over.
Neely was hauled before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Monday afternoon for the first of several congressional hearings about the GSA scandal. He listened as lawmakers and former colleagues denounced his activities — and then answered by taking the Fifth.
“Mr. Neely, what is your title at GSA?” asked Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif.
Neely, who had demanded “theatrical talent” at his conference, got to demonstrate his own. “Mr. Chairman, on the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my Fifth Amendment constitutional privilege.”
“Mr. Neely, did you attend the 2010 Western Regional Conference in Las Vegas?”
“Mr. Chairman, on the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my Fifth Amendment constitutional privilege,” repeated the witness.
Issa continued to press, assuring Neely “just a few more” questions, as though he were a dentist completing drilling on a patient. He finally excused the witness and asked him to “remain for the remainder of the hearing” in a back room. But Neely had no interest.
Instead, the witness slipped out a back door, and reporters and camera crews gave chase. A CBS soundman, tangled in wires, fell and was taken to a hospital with a head injury. Fox News’ Chad Pergram and other reporters followed Neely into an elevator and, ignoring his lawyer’s demands that they disperse, continued to pepper him with questions. Among them: “Will you apologize?”
“No comment” was all Neely said.
He had rather more to say when planning the conference. According to emails discussed at the hearing, Neely had offered to pay for personal friends to come have a “blast” on the government’s dime. “I know. I am bad,” he wrote. “But as Deb [his wife] and I say often, why not enjoy it while we have it and while we can. Ain’t going to last forever.”
He had that right. “Well, Mr. Neely, it stops now,” thundered Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the committee’s ranking Democrat, who was particularly offended that Neely’s wife, a private citizen, “ordered thousands of dollars’ worth of food at taxpayer expense.”
Committee Democrats and GSA officials portrayed Neely as a bad apple (albeit one who received a $9,000 bonus after his conference contretemps).
Meanwhile, Republicans labored to turn what happened in Vegas into an administration-wide scandal. They distributed documents with titles such as “GSA spending skyrockets under Obama administration” and GSA “convention spending soars under Democrat control.”
“As I look through this, there’s no wonder that the American people have lost faith in their government,” harrumphed Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Kelly.
“I want indictments!” bellowed Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina. With a preacher’s fervor, he compared the bureaucrats unfavorably with their biblical forbears. “The tribes of Israel sent 12 scouts into the Promised Land before they decided to invade, and GSA has to send 15 to Las Vegas to check out a hotel? Do you not see the outrage?”
This outrage was undercut by a fellow Republican, Rep. James Lankford of Oklahoma, who argued that “there was something that was happening that was very unique” at the Las Vegas event.
Indeed, it is not every government event where the “artisanal cheese” is $19 per person and the commemorative coins cost $20 apiece. Or where they make a rap video joking about what their congressional overseers would have to say about their excess (the rapper, summoned before the committee, apologized profusely).
Why did they do this? Neely, who once boasted that he “wanted to make a statement” with his soiree, wasn’t talking. And none of his GSA colleagues wished to speak for him.
“I have no idea what Mr. Neely was thinking,” said one witness.
“I don’t know what Mr. Neely was thinking,” said another.
“I do not know what he was thinking,” said a third.
Maybe they should hire a mind reader.
Dana Milbank is a columnist for The Washington Post. His e-mail address is danamilbank@washpost.com.
Dana it is easy what he was thinking–it is only tax payer money, why worry! He must have hung around Augusta for a while they have the same attitude.
Please, spare me the self-rigtheous moosepoop ! I worked for the GSA in the VERY bad ol’e days of the late 70’s and early 80’s. GSA credit cards were being used and passed around like a set of dice at a Reno crap table for every one to use. Dana Milbank has absolutely no idea how bad it was back then. This Vegas thing is minor compared to those days. The only, and I mean only, glimmer of hope is that the current IG actually had the ‘stone’s’ to actually investigate and then file his report with the US Attorney BEFORE he filed it with the GSA Administrator. That Martha Johnson resigned was not so much an act of supposedly personal responsiblity so much as it was an act designed to cover her bupkus before an Investgating Federal Grand Jury convenes and starts issuing subpoena’s.
And as far as Darell Issa goes, he’s a wimp since all he ever does is make attack dog threats and sends out partisan press releases. If Milbank ever wants to find out just how bad the GSA has been then he had better get of his journalist high horse and go find Bill Clinkscales and Howard Davia. They both were at the heart of the GSA corruption investigations back in ‘the day’ and know more about how the Agency really worked and shuffled money around. Given what they uncovered, between the GSA office in Chicago and what was going on in the National Office as well as the National Capitol Regional Office on 7th & D St S.W., the case is more than made for a serious revamping of the process of naming an Administrator, and the very real need for the Inspector General’s of ALL Agency’s, to file their reports with the Senate and House Committee first and then with the Administrator’s Staff. It also calls for an extension of the term-limit’s process in the naming and tenure of these same Administrator’s. While they are appointed by the President, there is now a demonstrated need for their oversight way beyond the usual Annual Report’s and ‘Coffee and Cake’ meeting’s. This, if nothing else, is he one good thing that could come out of the Las Vegas whoopie session.
Figures. What you are saying is government corruption and disrespect for the taxpayer is nothing new. Good reason to have a smaller government. If this sort of thing goes on in the GSA. It’s everywhere. Care to make a date in Columbia?
This is all part of the on going culture of corruption the Obama administration has become famous for. Is anybody really surprised? Back when he was telling people not to be running off to Vegas he just meant private sector people, he needed your tax dollars so gov’t people could go to Vegas. It was fun to watch the hearings, reminded me of slick Willy’s hearings. Just waiting for Neeley to ask what they mean by the word “is”.
The GSA wastes a lot of money, but Congress does as well. We’re paying Senators for over 3 years and they have yet to pass a budget. Now, they’ve announced that they won’t even try to pass a budget before the Nov elections!
Why should we pay them?
They didn’t spend enough and need more money
for their parties. Tax the rich, the money will be
put to good use.
Not a Republican or Democratic monopoly on this so let’s not make it about Obama. Just the corrupt way the federal Government works.
Way back long ago when I was in the service, every six months or so we had ” regional staff meetings” at some reasonably posh location which typically involved a week long TDY (temporary duty). Fly in about thirty officers from far scattered bases at government expense for the meeting. Almost always had nice meals in posh settings and plenty of time for social events and recreation on the taxpayer’s nickel. Best trip ever was a week long TDY to Athens for a one day conference due to difficulties in coordinating flight schedules. Nice hotels, trips to the Parthenon, bus tours of ancient Greece, hanging out at the beach and the Offices Club, all on the government’s nickel. Multiply that small junket by a few thousands and pretty soon you’re talking real money. The current GSA debacle is just the tip of the iceberg– business as usual among the bureaucrats.
But for us low level servicemen, these TDY trips are small beer. Space A on a scheduled military flight and overnight accommodations in a VOQ don’t cost the government a whole lot. The big guys get the big toys including the use of government jets. Used to love to see the VIP pols show up at our base in their specially assigned jets for an “inspection” which turned out to be a field trip to some nearby posh location for a little r and r.
Time to stop the government waste.
Turning out the SCANDAL RIDDEN OBAMACRATS is getting easier and easier.