The findings included; GSA spending on conference planning was excessive, wasteful, and in some cases impermissible, GSA failed to follow contracting regulations in many of the procurements associated with the WRC and wasted taxpayer dollars, GSA incurred excessive and impermissible costs for food at the Western Regions Conference (WRC), GSA incurred impermissible and questionable miscellaneous expenses, GSA’s approach to the conference indicates that minimizing expenses was not a goal.
Congressional oversight hearings have begun.
Today The Politico reports that according to David Axelrod on NBC's "Meet the Press", Barack Obama is "apoplectic" and the issues was "very enraging" to Obama.
Reactions over at The Politico, via the comment section, show readers unconvinced of Obama's outrage and apoplexy.
Gary Sieburg responds to the story with "So if he is apoplectic about this why did he not bother to mention this for 2 years when it has been proven that he knew about it? And why didn't Meet the Press even ask that question? Could it be they were covering it up like they are doing with Fast and Furious Scandal and the Secret Service prostitution Scandal. Does the big media only investigate Republicans? Seems so."
He seems to be referring to the fact that the head of that agency received an alert from the inspector general last year, but no action was taken until this blew up in the administrations face publicly.
Robert Barnard adds his two cents with "So Obama's apoplectic about the poor stewardship of taxpayer money at GSA, but gives himself a solid B+ on squandering 500 times more money on doomed-to-fail green ventures. No irony there. Let me sum up Obama's presidency in one phrase : With great power, comes NO responsibility. (Unless you're George Bush)."
Just a couple examples from those comments, readers can click and see the rest, but over at Twitter, #GSA has a hashtag and the comments as well as links to photos and media reports have been brutal.
.@DarrellIssa on @meetthepress: Look at @usgsa spending skyrocketing under @BarackObama CHART: yfrog.com/hwhskp #MTP #tcot #GSA
— GOP Oversight (@GOPoversight) April 22, 2012
She went to Vegas and directed event planners to spend government money. She's the wife of a #GSA exec: wapo.st/Jjg0EO
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 18, 2012
Axelrod: Yeah, I’d probably use the GSA, Solyndra, and Secret Service scandals against a Republican president pulse.me/s/8tBvu
— Delaware Tea Party (@deteaparty) April 22, 2012
@usgsa table 4.1 here-->> whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/His… says 0bama increased GSA spending 170% (10) & 492% (11) over 09.Trips? Gifts? #TCOT
— Inspired by Palin (@Palinspired) April 19, 2012
Warning sign? GSA deputy pleaded guilty to embezzlement months before Vegas bash: The former right-hand man for ... bit.ly/JlwEVS
— Streaming News Netw. (@STREAMING_NEWS) April 22, 2012
Obama probably is apoplectic over this. Not because of the spending abuse but because it exploded in Obama's face during his reelection campaign when he is already suffering in his 13th quarter polling, with historical presidential 13th quarter polling showing him behind .... Jimmy Carter.