Four of the most powerful business leaders in America arrived at the White House one day last month for lunch with President Barack Obama, sitting down in his private dining room just steps from the Oval Office.It is rather tacky to invite people to your home and then charge them for dinner.
But even for powerful CEOs, there’s no such thing as a free lunch: White House staffers collected credit card numbers for each executive and carefully billed them for the cost of the meal with the president.
The White House defended the unusual move as a way to avoid conflicts of interest. But the Bush administration didn’t charge presidential guests for meals, one former official said, and at least one etiquette expert found the whole thing unseemly – suggesting it was a serious breach of protocol.
“I’m sure they have their political reasons for doing that, but I think it’s not what quote, hospitality, unquote is all about,” said Letitia Baldrige, who headed Jacqueline Kennedy’s White House staff in the early 1960s. “We’ve got to relax about this. To have people to the White House and worry about the price of things is laughable.”
“I don’t know what the menu was, but I’m sure it wasn’t braised pheasant,” she said.
The White House did not say what was served for lunch or how much the attendees were charged. A spokeswoman said White House staff collected the credit card numbers separately from the event.
Around the table with Barack Obama that afternoon were Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox Corporation; Muhtar Kent, CEO of The Coca-Cola Company; AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson; and Honeywell International CEO Dave Cote.
“From time to time, White House guests are asked to reimburse for their meals, the reasons include ensuring there is no conflict or appearance of a conflict,” said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki. “That is consistent with our tough ethics rules and we will continue the practice when appropriate.”
Friday, July 31, 2009
Don't Go to the White House Without Your Credit Card
Not just so you can buy some knick-knacks in the visitors center, but so you can eat with the president:
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2 comments:
Maybe if we could do it, and get away with it, we might have more people eating with us! Oh, give me a church pot-luck anytime.
He sure isn't the 'President of Hospitality', is he?
Are there any folks reading Holycoast who know how to knit? I think President Obama is ready for a sweater!!
It's all that remains for his complete transformation into Jimmy Carter Deux.
Meanwhile, if I ever get invited to the White House, as for instance if I do something politically incorrect and need one of those teachable moments of the sort the Cambridge police officer got, if, I say, I ever find myself at the Obama White House ...
I'm packing a bag lunch. (Never would I let THOSE people get my credit card number!)
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