Military Aircraft Alone Reportedly Cost at least $430,000

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Judicial Watch, the organization that investigates and fights government corruption, announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit on August 19, 2011, against the United States Air Force to obtain records related to theJune 21-27, 2011, trip taken by First Lady Michelle Obama, her family, and her staff to South Africa and Botswana.  Judicial Watch is seeking the documents to determine details about the trip and, in particular, a breakdown of the costs to taxpayers (Judicial Watch v. USAF (No. 11-1496)).

The Judicial Watch FOIA request filed on June 28, 2011, seeks:

• Any and all records concerning mission taskings of First Lady Michelle Obama’s June 21-27, 2011trip to South Africa and Botswana.
• Any and all records of concerning transportation costs for Mrs. Obama’s June 21-27 trip to South Africa and Botswana.
• Any and all passenger manifests (DD-2131) for Mrs. Obama’s June 21-27, 2011 trip to South Africaand Botswana.

According the U.S. Postal Service records, Judicial Watch’s FOIA request was received by the Air Force on July 6, 2011. A response to the request was due within 20 working days, or by August 3, 2011.  As ofAugust 19, 2011, the date of the complaint, the Air Force has failed to produce the records requested or respond with a date they will be forthcoming.

The professed purpose of Mrs. Obama’s trip was to encourage young people living in South Africa andBotswana to get involved in national affairs.  The First Lady’s remarks focused on education, health, and wellness issues.  However, accompanied by her daughters Malia and Sasha, her mother, Marian Robinson, and her niece and nephew, Leslie and Avery Robinson, the trip also included such tourist events as visits to historical landmarks and museums as well as a visit with Nelson Mandela, described by Mrs. Obama as “surreal.”  The trip ended with a private family safari at a South African game reserve before the group returned to Washington on June 27.

Judicial Watch is investigating the total cost of the trip to the taxpayers in the face of a ballooning federal debt and a sinking economy.  As stated in an analysis by White House Dossier (the blog of White House reporter Keith Koffer, who writes for CongressDaily, National Journal, Roll Call and Politico), the cost to taxpayers for the C-32 was $430,000 alone.  This cost is based on an estimated charge of $12,723 an hour, which is what the Department of Defense charges other federal agencies for use of the aircraft.  If a military cargo plane was included ‒ which typically accompanies a First Lady ‒ the cost of transportation could have escalated by another $200,000.

Other costs, such as Secret Service protection, the care and feeding of staff, and pre-trip advance work done by administration officials in Africa, cannot be determined without examining records.

“How much did the American people spend to send the First Lady on a family outing in Africa?  That’s what we want to know,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.  “On the surface, the trip seems to have been totally unnecessary and was as much an excuse for the Obama family to go on a safari as it was a mission intended to advance the nation’s business in Africa.”