The head of the General Services Administration has resigned after it was revealed the agency spent $820,000 on a Vegas convention. Among the items purchased with your money: a mind reader. Remember this when politicians say the problem with the federal budget is that there’s not enough revenue.
The 300-person event at the M Resort Spa and Casino in Henderson, Nev., included a $95-per-person dinner and reception, as well as several violations of federal laws and policies.
“As the agency Congress has entrusted with developing the rules followed by other federal agencies for conferences, GSA has a special responsibility to set an example, and that did not occur here,” the inspector general concluded in its report.
One of the most striking details in the report was that planners spent more than $130,000 on pre-convention activities. This included six planning events held at the conference venue. Travel expenses for these visits added up to $100,000, with another $30,000 for catering.
To boot, planners had paid a consultant $12,000 for help in finding the location they would repeatedly visit.
“It defies belief that the government paid for six planning trips to the luxury resort where the conference was held.
