[maggief]

"How did they end up at the five star Villa Padierna, part of the Ritz-Carlton chain? Because of security concerns, there were just some places they could not go. Agents were able to secure Villa Padierna and the nearby beach area."

Villa Padierna had THAT many rooms available in July, at the same time Antonio Banderas and Eva Longoria were hosting a star-studded gala?

Wouldn't the gala have posed even more security issues; red carpet event, etc.?

[FrankR]

[just me]

Didn't you know when a friend's father dies you go have lunch with the King of Spain?

Did she leave her friend at the hotel while she dined with royalty?

[Jedidah]

Next time one of Michelle’s friends is bereft, can the taxpayers JUST SEND FLOWERS, PLEASE????!

[Girlene]

LOL, the funny part is that the administration thinks Americans will buy this excuse. Not gonna work. They really blew it with their vacation decisions.

[Ann Archy]

I would like to know if the Obamas took LAVISH EUROPEAN VACATIONS WHEN THEY WEREN”T IN OFFICE.....anyone know??

[Freedom56v2]

Wow so it took a week to come up with this lame spin. Getting harder for the booster club to carry water for the first family and their extravagant tastes.

[ChocChipCookie]

Did you read the comments after the article? Looks like NO ONE is buying this whitewash attempt.

[garbanzo]

It’s bizarre, you have Queen Elizabeth taking a public train with a single bodyguard and the First Lady of the US taking these lavish trips with a whole retinue.

[xkaydet65]

She couldn’t make the funeral in early July?? Weren’t the haloed one and wife on another vacation in early July?.If the decision to go was made around the middle of July, I find it hard to believe that this place had so many rooms available on such short notice. You can’t get a room in Cape Cod for 5 nites without booking in March. That would mean a lot of people were asked to cancel their vacation plans to open up space for this party. Unless this resort didn’t have any guests scheduled the first week in August.

[Fundamentally Fair]

First, some numbers. Mrs. Obama did not travel with 40 friends, a number used by some news outlets.

I heard that there were as many as 60 in the entourage. Now, here is a claim of 7. Which is true?

[Interesting Times]

I'm told she made the trip because she promised one of her closest friends, a longtime Chicago pal who just lost her father, she would spend time with her.

How very moving.

I swear, these people will lie to you about what toothpaste they buy.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I'm told she made the trip because she promised one of her closest friends, a longtime Chicago pal who just lost her father, she would spend time with her.

What would be wrong with going to Chicago to do that?

[Enchante]

"she promised one of her closest friends"

oh sure, and they couldn't possibly "spend time together" on the US gulf coast where they could support a return of tourist visitors and money to a crashing local economy --- must better to bring your biz-ness to 5-star hotels in Spain, Michelle!

[Caipirabob]

Lol! The damage control/spin cycle people aren’t even trying anymore.

[calex59]

This story is most likely the latest lie to try to cover the Wookie's a**.

However, even if it is true that does not excuse the amount of taxpayer's money spent on this lavish vacation, in fact it makes it worse.

Taking an all expenses paid(by the taxpayers, regardless of what the media says)vacation to Spain simply because one of your buddies had a death in the family is as gross an example of arrogance as I have ever seen, and to try to say it is fine simply because her friend needed consoling is just pure BS.

Michelle Antoinette doesn't begin to describe the extravagance and waste taking a trip like this simply to placate a friend entails.

[lonestar]

When was this trip first announced?

Why didn't she take her friend to Camp David to spend quality time with her?

What did the American taxpayers owe Michelle's friend?

[silverleaf]

I haven’t yet met a grieving person who would be comforted by tooling around Spain in a 13-car motorcade and walking the beaches and streets of a resort in a crowd of dozens of strap hangers shielded from the paparazzi by 60 secret service agents and hundreds of spanish police.

Nor have I met a true friend with access to a staff of 122 servants and a private military jet fleet who couldn’t make it from DC to a Chicago funeral, having taken 8 vacations in 3 months.

Sorrm me-shell, we call BEE ESS on this story. Our tears refuse to be jerked.

[silverleaf]

I haven't yet met a grieving person who would be comforted by tooling around Spain in a 13-car motorcade and walking the beaches and streets of a resort in a crowd of dozens of strap hangers shielded from the paparazzi by 60 secret service agents and hundreds of spanish police.

Nor have I met a true friend with access to a staff of 122 servants and a private military jet fleet who couldn't make it from DC to a Chicago funeral, having taken 8 vacations in 3 months.

Sorry me-shell, we call BEE ESS on this story. Our tears refuse to be jerked.

[N. Theknow]

"How did they end up at the five star Villa Padierna, part of the Ritz-Carlton chain? Because of security concerns, there were just some places they could not go. Agents were able to secure Villa Padierna and the nearby beach area."

I guess Motel Seis and Super Ocho were full up.

[TornadoAlley3]

Coming soon, photos of FLOTUS and kids eating at Burger King. Damage control.