In May, Conover reported that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem planned to buy a luxurious Gulfstream V Jet to the tune of $50 million taxpayer dollars for her personal use. That was disgusting enough, especially given the Musk/Trump supposed concern for government efficiency and getting rid of waste and abuse (even though it was always a load of BS).
Somehow that $50 million has turned into “a little over $172 million” and the purchase of one luxury jet has turned into two, according to documents posted to a public government procurement website and reviewed by The New York Times. The second luxury jet is for “other top officials,” The Times said. I'll bet means there's a luxury jet for Noem’s globe-trotting pal and “special government employee” “adviser” Corey Lewandowski, too.
“It was not immediately clear where the funding for the jets came from,” The Times said. You can be sure it didn’t come out of Trump’s golfing budget or the gold leaf he’s slathering all over the White House or his Marie Antoinette ballroom.
Democratic Reps. Rosa DeLauro and Lauren Underwood, members of the House Appropriations Committee, seem pretty ticked off. In a letter to Noem asking her to “clarify the funding source,” they also wrote:
“In addition to raising serious questions about your ability to effectively lead an agency whose procurement strategies appear to vary on a whim, the procurement of new luxury jets for your use suggests that the [United States Coast Guard] has been directed to prioritize your own comfort above the U.S.C.G.’s operational needs, even during a government shutdown,” the lawmakers wrote. “We are deeply concerned about your judgment, leadership priorities, and responsibility as a steward of taxpayer dollars.”
Noem seems to have a thing for mooching off the Coast Guard. While she’s waiting for the new jets to match her $50,000 Rolex and her gold-detailed ICE vehicles, she’s been living rent free in a house usually occupied by a top Coast Guard official.
By the way, when I clicked on the Times’ link to the procurement website, only a blank webpage came up.
Get the feeling they are trying to hide something?
