Posted on 04/22/2012 12:49:44 PM PDT by Steelfish
Rep. King Wants To Know Whether 'Per Diem' Used To Pay Colombia Prostitutes April 22, 2012
A top House Republican wants to know whether Secret Service employees involved in the prostitution scandal in Colombia used their taxpayer "per diem" to pay any of the women for their services.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King, R-N.Y., posed the question along with dozens of others in a letter to Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan as part of his committee's escalating probe into the controversy. The questions covered everything from the potential security risks to internal training procedures.
On the issue of prostitute payment, King asked the director two questions -- how many agents paid the women, and how many "provided monetary remuneration to the female foreign nationals involved in the alleged incident in Colombia with the per diem provided by the U.S. government?"
It's unclear how much money the agents may have shelled out on the night in question, or whether any of that money came from the government pocketbook -- one of the women reportedly was paid $225 for the night. It's one of the many questions lawmakers have for the Obama administration as they launch their own investigations into the alleged misconduct.
"Every possible lead is being examined," King said Sunday. Asked about King's letter, Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan told FoxNews.com in an e-mail: "We'll answer all inquiries from Congress."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
He should ask Spitzer how this is arranged, he should know!!!
What a chickensh*t question — would it make any fifference if they had paid the prostitutes with their own funds?
Of course it was used. Per deim is a set daily amount to pay expenses while traveling. How you spend it is your choice and usuall receipts are not required. You can buy meals or hookers, it is your choice.
Exactly right. This is a stupid line of questioning.
King should have asked did the SS use any Gov't issued Credit Cards or funds.
The 'per diem' is merely for headlines and buzz.
You don’t need to file an itemized claim for a per diem. That’s the whole point.
No. It was their per noctem.
It sounds like he is getting after whether or not direct tax payer money was used. They crossed the line. King is seeing how by far.
Not only is it a stupid question, it is impossible to determine if it is true. If I give you $200 per day in per diem, you can use it any way you want. It is mixed with your own personal money. You are free to stay in a $500 per night hotel and run up bar and food tabs of $300 per day, but you still get the $200 per diem payment. If you are frugal and can live on $100 per day, you can pocket the other $100 per day.
Yes, but the guy could have used his savings or anything. Per diem is merely for headlines.
They converted “per diem” to “per shtup”. :D
If an agent has receipts for spending on meals for that day which is equal to or more than the per diem, this particular matter would be resolved.
If an agent does not have such receipts, they’d be open to the accusation that their per diem was used on that day towards paying the prostitute. Since money is fungible, IMHO, it would be extremely difficult to avoid such a charge without receipts proving that the per diem was spent on valid items.
IMHO.
By the slice.
Things have not been the same with the Secret Service since Clinton was President. Clinton: “Well when you are away you don’t have access to your own food, so we reimburse you for restaurants, you don’t have access to your own home, so were imburse you for hotels, you don’t have access to your wives, so.....”
Veni...veritas.
Once the PD is paid, it becomes their personal funds. Sheesh!
We’ve got much bigger fish to fry than this silly crap. Granted the SS has brought shame and dishonor on their agency. However, the longer we yammer about this BS, the longer the progressives have to continue their destruction of the country.
Let’s put this crap in its proper place in the grand scheme of things, and get back to the business of saving the nation.
Congressmen get really testy when there is a party and they aren’t invited.
Tell those Upstate New Yorkers to stop peeing in the downstate drinking water reservoirs, it is making those Downstate Congressman, regardless of party, talk stupid.
Yes, money is fungible. So the question is pointless. Someone can “profit” off of his per diem by spending $20 on food where he’s allowed $35. That money is his to keep.
Now that it’s his money, whether he puts it in the bank or spends it on hookers, it’s still his money.
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