Obamas’ jaunt to Ireland cost $7.9 million

'Abused the perk of official trip for luxury European vacation'

(WASHINGTON EXAMINER) The White House spent $7.9 million flying the first family to the 2013 G-8 summit in northern Ireland, a venture that included a sightseeing tour of Dublin by first lady Michelle Obama and their two daughters that cost $251,161, according to new documents.

The first lady’s entourage spent $125,859 just for hotel rooms, including the spacious Princess Grace Suite at the five-star Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin. Department of Homeland Security documents provided to taxpayer watchdog Judicial Watch also revealed a $114,721 tab for the first lady’s fleet of cars and a $3,370 charge for a copier.

The cache of expenses is the latest from Judicial Watch which has spent years charting the costs of presidential trips. As before, it took a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit to shake the documents out of Homeland Security and the Air Force.

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