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Key GSA official pleads the Fifth

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    Issa launches hearings on agency's spending

  • Duration 4:50
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Got a Fox News alert for you right now you're looking at that date to testimony GSA hearings on -- getting underway right now -- just couldn't believe the former GSA official accused of using our tax dollars to send his apparently his family on vacation.

Is expected to take the fifth again today.

And -- honestly it's California congressman chair of the house oversight committee -- -- -- good morning to you congressman.

Good morning and -- and -- frustrating for you yesterday as people of other members of congress yourself included asking questions and you continually get that answer.

They he's going to take the fifth and not tell you anything.

A -- did a good -- from him again today he's gonna say.

But CIA.

-- they may not -- may excuse him now that he has taken the fifth.

Let's understand -- he was part of what has become sort of common occurrence in in government.

Stimulus money came in.

It would -- created great opportunities for them to spend they decided this was a year for an over the top event.

Very different than previous years although I would tell you this conference was probably never justified even when it cost less than half as much.

Congressman on the cover of the New York Post today is a picture of mr.

-- in a hot tub I know that you've seen it there's a couple of that's the only -- you can press to.

-- really that's kind of scary well I note.

You've got that from his wife's Google+ page and his daughter apparently according to the daily.

Which -- used it with your iPad.

Apparently he took his -- his daughter.

Carly with them to Hawaii because she posted 38 pictures.

The family in Hawaii when he simultaneously was in Hawaii on official government business.

-- he was in there he was there for -- ribbon cutting however he was there for five days and you know these ribbon -- don't take that long.

But this is an example just the tip of the iceberg.

You don't need to -- people for ribbon cuttings you don't need to have that kind of thing at a time in which -- barring nearly a trillion dollars.

But this is part of the problem the GSA is the best example because they're the ones that are spoke to -- supposed to set the gold standard for saving the government money.

Very clearly this is where the new administrators going to have to get down and do what wasn't done for the previous three years.

Chairman and his days -- are you sitting at 23 more letters what else do you need to know what are you learning from this research it makes you want to expand this.

Well the other 23 letters -- to the major agencies independent agencies and cabinet positions that we want to look into all of their conference's.

-- suspicion is very quickly they're going to tell us about canceled conferences.

And telecommuting and other ways of saving money and in the case of this particular conference what's interesting is the so called western region.

Was the only region to have these conferences.

And that begs the question is if they even if they are the only one to have it why is that they needed it all and why did they need Las Vegas or Oklahoma are New Orleans.

If you're gonna go somewhere for conference.

Do it in your own district in this case two out of three conferences weren't even in the region these people represented.

Could a congressman.

I hate to be cynical but I'm but I'm going to be -- for it.

You claim that this is just the tip of the iceberg you're not just talking about the GSA are you oh not at all.

That's why we sent to 23 other agencies GSA is is one of those areas where we've -- rampant problems certainly the disposal federal property the hearing this being held today.

Is a major problem you know the American people could save billions of dollars by simply shattering and getting rid of him.

Property that they're maintaining but not using or under using.

But now we we know that from NASA two.

To the national zoo there's an opportunity for save.

Congressman we going to see this money again are these guys seeing in these women seeing prison time could they be legally liable for this -- -- wasted about.

Well the the idea is requested the money back but sadly the money they stole officially is in a couple of thousand dollars the money they -- used which is over a couple 100000 dollars were unlikely to see back.

-- mr.

-- may be facing prison time I believe that's the reason he chose to take the fifth not because of the questions we wanted to ask.

But because of questions of his personal conduct.

That he doesn't want to take a chance on being asked okay and we just saw the now famous video of the smoking clown which by the way is he in trouble the smoking clash at.

Now he isn't in trouble over some of the other some of the other contractors EIG yesterday under questioning related to us that there's a rising kickbacks that he's investigating.

All right that's good news for the -- industry I think congressman Darrell -- addresses from DC thank you sir thank you.

If only it our overall so funny though because it's actually really Syria and also smoking is not something we we endorse that -- -- -- -- --

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