Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Sen. Susan Collins is among the lawmakers expressing outrage at the news that the U.S. General Services Administration spent more than $822,000 on a Las Vegas training conference.
The Maine Republican, the top Republican on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said in a statement that it is “unbelievable” that questions weren’t raised before the 2010 junket took place.
“It defies belief that the government paid for six planning trips to the luxury resort where the conference was held. But even that wasn't enough for GSA,” Collins said. “The agency actually wasted still more funds - some $12,000 - to hire an organization to locate the venue for the conference. Why then would GSA send out scouts to visit nine hotels? The contracting shenanigans and apparent quid-pro-quo deals uncovered by the (GSA) Inspector General are outrageous and unethical.”
GSA Administrator Martha Johnson has resigned over the scandal.
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Kevin Miller is Washington bureau chief for the Portland Press Herald and MaineToday Media. He has worked as a journalist in Maine for 6 ½ years, covering the environment, politics and the State House. Before arriving in Maine, he wrote about politics, government and education for newspapers in Virginia and Maryland.
Kevin can be reached at 317-6256 or kmiller@mainetoday.com
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