Judicial Watch: Obama’s Eight-Day 2012 – 2013 Hawaii Christmas Vacation Cost Taxpayers $4,086, 355.20 For Flights Alone

Flight expense records from the U.S. Department of the Air Force by the legal watchdog organization Judicial Watch show that President Obama incurred $7,396,531.20 in flight expenses alone for his 2013 vacations to Hawaii and Martha’s Vineyard and his trip to California to appear on the Jay Leno Show. The records came in response to Freedom of Information lawsuit filed after what the group called the "stonewalling" of requests filed in August 2013.

“The Obamas are abusing the public trust and the taxpayers with unnecessary luxurious vacations and travel,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a news release. “These staggering costs show why these documents were covered up and we had to sue in federal court to get them. Another transparency fail for the Obama gang.”

According to the Department of Air Force documents:

• The outbound flight to Honolulu for the Obama 2012 – 2013 Christmas vacation cost taxpayers $2, 214, 393.60. The return flight to Washington was $1,871,961.60. The total price for flight expenditures alone came to $4,086, 355.20.
• The outbound flight to California in August, 2013 for Obama to dine with high-dollar fundraiser Jeffrey Katzenberg and appear on the “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” cost taxpayers $1,209,926.40.The return flight to Washington was $935,980.80. The total price for flight expenditures alone came to $2,145,907.20.
• The outbound flight to Martha’s Vineyard for the Obama family August vacation cost taxpayers $890,323.20. The return flight to Washington was $273,945.60. The total price for flight expenditures alone came to $1,164,268.80.

 
From December, 21, 2012, to January, 5, 2013, the Obama family spent their Christmas vacation in Honolulu, Hawaii, with the president briefly flying back to Washington to work on a budget deal before returning to finish out his vacation. In early August, 2013, Obama flew to California to dine privately with high-dollar fundraiser DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg in the presidential suite at the Hilton Woodland Hills Hotel and to appear for the sixth time on the Jay Leno “Tonight Show.” Also, in August 2013, the Obama family spent eight days vacationing in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, at the $7.6 million home of David Schulte, founder of the private equity firm Chilmark Partners.

FMI: www.judicialwatch.org