Posted on 05/27/2014 5:07:00 AM PDT by cotton1706
Sen. Thad Cochran's longtime executive assistant was listed as being part of a “spouse group” and photographed participating in recreational events for senators' spouses on a taxpayer-funded trip in 2004 to South America.
In captions to photos posted online by the U.S. Embassy in Montevideo, Uruguay, Webber was listed by name as part of a spouse group touring local sites and dining together. Other aides on the trip, including another female aide, are not listed in the photographs as participating in the events.
The newly surfaced photos undermine the account of Cochran's campaign that Webber attended the trip in a strictly professional capacity.
Facing questions about Webber's attendance on dozens of overseas trips, Cochran's campaign has said Webber, who began working for Cochran in 1981, plays a crucial and senior role in the office. The campaign even called questions about the trips “sexist.”
Senators routinely bring their spouses on the trips, called “CODELs” in Capitol Hill parlance, and their presence often results in separate agendas for the senators and their spouses. Typically, aides participate in official events attended by senators while spouses engage in more recreational activity.
A full agenda of the trip, including what tasks Webber performed for Cochran, is unavailable. Cochran's campaign declined to comment.
The photographs are from a 2004 trip that Cochran took to Uruguay alongside former Sens. Norm Coleman (R-MN), Mike DeWine (R-OH), and Sens. Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Pat Leahy (D-VT). Other countries the delegation visited during the trip include Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Caught!
I'd agree Webber attended in a strictly professional capacity. The only profession older than politics..
“A full agenda of the trip, including what tasks Webber performed for Cochran, is unavailable. Cochran’s campaign declined to comment.”
I bet the list of those “tasks” remains “unavailable.” The records have probably been expunged by Haley Barbour.
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