CONGRESSMAN TOOK ALL FRILLS ‘FACT FINDING’ MISSION TO TROPICAL ISLAND COSTING TAXPAYERS THOUSANDS

Nothing thrills me more as a taxpayer than when our hard working elected officials get to take vacations, especially members of Congress. So what if they do nine months of the year? They’ve earned it.

The only thing better than their three-quarter of the year hiatus from representing voters is when we the taxpayers get to fund it. After all, Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden said it was our patriotic duty to pay higher taxes. This must be why.

In June 2008, when a bipartisan group of congressmen thought a trip to the Galapagos Islands with all its unique species would give them a better understanding of the earth’s changing climate, INSIDE EDITION’s Senior Investigative Correspondent Matt Meagher and a producer decided to tag along with hidden cameras. [...]

Five congressmen, all from the House Committee on Science and Technology weren’t enough. They brought along five aides, and as is often the case on these trips, three of the congressmen took their wives, including Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA), Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC). Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-OR) brought her adult daughter. Rep. Ben Chandler (R-KY) was the only member who did not bring a guest.

The group stayed in plush seaside suites at the Red Mangrove Inn, one of the most expensive resorts on the island. From breakfast to dinner, the hotel staff catered to their every need. At night when the torches were lit, the group dined on fresh sushi and fine wine.

According to records obtained by INSIDE EDITION, the group ran up more than $21,000 of charges for their 3-night stay. However, the specifics of their trip are hard to find. The only public expense report lists no explanation for how they spent thousands of taxpayers’ dollars.

The delegation looked like thousands of tourists who visit the Islands every week, riding bikes, constantly taking photos and doing a lot of shopping. [...]

The delegation justified the trip in press releases before and after, saying there was an important, U.S. funded, tsunami warning center there. INSIDE EDITION has learned that no such center exists. The only thing remotely connected to a tsunami warning center was a small tide sensor, which the group did not even see.

I honestly don’t see anything wrong with this. These guys (and gals) work hard talking to each other about football over hours-long dinners at fancy restaurants while completely ignoring the issues that are destroying our country. You try doing that three months of the year… I bet it isn’t easy.

So the least we can do is drop a few thousand bucks to get good leaders like Inglis a nice vacation.

Plus, this fact finding mission was surely an exception to the rule. On most of the other trips, I’m sure Inglis was working his butt off for his constituents and the American people.

Like when he visited Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica for a week in January. That was an incredibly important trip because there are few things more important to Americans right now than understanding polar bears, wallabies and sharks.

And in 2007 when he stopped by Italy and Israel for a few days, I have no doubt it was all business. Ditto for his 2006 trip down under.

Plus, all the other Congressman do it. Reps. Gresham Barrett, Henry Brown, James Clyburn and John Spratt all got to go cool places like Germany, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Costa Rica, El Salvador, China, Canada, Greece, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Morocco, Romania, Poland, Switzerland, Ukraine, Iceland, Cape Verde, the United Kingdom and France. Why shouldn’t Inglis be able to go too?