October 04, 2017
U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, of Maryland, also a top Democrat on the White House Oversight Committee, is questioning Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway's air travel with former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price, Politico first reported Wednesday.
Cummings sent Conway, who hails from Atlantic County, New Jersey, a letter dated Wednesday that asked her to hand over information on how many private, non-commercial or military flights she's taken since joining in the White House, as well as information about the costs involved in the travels. The information is requested to be turned over by Oct. 18.
The letter outlined details that Conway and Price had traveled together to events in Philadelphia; Lansing, Michigan; and Charleston, West Virginia.
Price resigned last week amidst a public scandal concerning his use of taxpayer-funded air travel.
“Despite the fact that you joined Secretary Price on several of these flights, you have not made any similar public statements indicating whether your own actions were appropriate, whether you will continue to take such flights at taxpayer expense in the future, or whether you plan to personally repay the taxpayers for the cost of your seats on these flights,” Cummings wrote in the letter.
Price attempted to reimburse the trips by writing a personal check to the U.S. Treasury for nearly $52,000. A previous report from Politico said Price's trips totaled more than $400,000.
"I request that you provide a full explanation of your past actions with respect to these expensive flights and that describe whether or not you plan to repay the American taxpayers, as Secretary Price did," Cummings also wrote.
Read the complete report from Politico here.