Judicial Watch today announced it obtained travel records from the Secret Service in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, bringing the known total of travel expenses for former President Barack Obama and his family to $105,662,975.27. The latest records show President Trump’s travel expenses total slightly over $4 million.
Judicial Watch also announced that oral argument will be heard on Friday, September 15, 2017, in an additional FOIA lawsuit challenging the district court’s dismissal of Judicial Watch’s claim that Homeland Security has a history of violating FOIA’s requirements in the processing of Judicial Watch’s requests. (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (No. 1:15-cv-01983)). Judicial Watch sought discovery in this case.
The hearing will be held before D.C. Circuit Judges Judith W. Rogers, Sri Srinivasan, and Cornelia T.L. Pillard:
Date: Friday, September 15, 2017
Time: 9:30 A.M.
Location: Courtroom 31
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
333 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20001
The new Obama travel records obtained from the Secret Service were the result of a FOIA lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security (No. 1:17-cv-01007)). Judicial Watch’s lawsuit produced the following travel records showing a total of $3,696,266.56 for Obama travel:
- Michelle Obama’s trip to Morocco cost $128,108.47 in hotels; $88,725.60 in car rentals; $1,476.07 in gas/oil and $972.22 in cell phone charges for a total of $244,218.01
- Michelle Obama’s trip to Liberia cost $55,220 in hotels; $44,000 in car rentals; $2,500 in gas/oil and $1,000 in cell phone charges for a total of $107,890
- Michelle Obama’s trip to Spain cost $79,764.49 in hotels; $81,750.99 in car rentals and $4,547 in staff overtime pay for a total of $166,062.48
- Obama’s November 2016 appearance at a Clinton campaign rally in Orlando, FL. cost $150,530.99 in hotels; $103,526.96 in air/rail; $11,588.76 in car rentals and $5,829 in equipment for a total of $271,467.71
- Obama’s trip to Los Angeles in October 2016, which included two fundraisers and an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” cost $127,822 in hotels; $38,715 in air/rail; $24,326 in equipment and $4,992.30 in car rentals for a total of $195,855
- Michelle Obama’s October 2016 appearance at a Clinton campaign rally in North Carolina cost $13,206 in hotels; $11,965 in air/rail and $1,331 in car rentals for a total of $26,502
- The Obama family trip to Martha’s Vineyard in August 2016 cost $2,512,380.88 in hotels; $89,586.82 in rental cars; $53,234.69 in air/rail and $29,068.97 in miscellaneous expenditures for a total of $2,684,271.36
- The Secret Service spent $1,862,230.74 on the Obamas’ final Christmas to Honolulu on the taxpayers’ dime: $1,765,583.12 on hotels and $96,647.62 on car rentals.
Added to the previously released costs, the known total of travel expenses for the Obamas is now $105,662,975.27
Separately, providing protection for Hillary Clinton between April 11 and May 6, 2015 cost the Secret Service $23,323.14 in car rentals; $294.057.65 in air/rail and $32,856.80 in travel vouchers for a total of $350,237.59.
Judicial Watch also released travel expenses related to President Trump’s travel totaling $4,082,427.71:
- President Trump’s “Thank You Tour” between November 9 and December 12, 2016 cost $330,260.86 in hotels; $112,314 in air/rail; $14,340 in equipment and $18,563.44 in car rentals for a total of $475,478.30
- Trump visits to Mar-a-Lago between February 3 and March 27, 2017 cost $1,474,726.03 in hotels (including $19,760 at Mar-a-Lago), $284,581.63 on car rentals; $1,791,768.33 on air/rail and $55,873.42 on supplies and services for a total of $3,606,949.41
Judicial Watch previously released records Air Force records showing Trump administration travel costs. The grand total for President Trump’s and Vice President Pence’s travel to date is $7,560,425.01.
It cost the Secret Service an additional $95,187.58 to secure Trump Tower from November 9 through December 5, 2016.
Judicial Watch recently filed a FOIA lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, for the Secret Service travel expenditures for Trump family during April 2017 and Obama family between January 2009 and April 2017 (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security (No. 1:17-cv-01341)).
The suit was filed after the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Secret Service failed to respond to FOIA requests filed in April and May 2017 seeking mission taskings, transportation costs, passenger manifests and security costs.
Judicial Watch seeks Air Force records for:
- Trump’s trip to Mar-a-Lago between April 6 – 9 when he hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping
- Obama’s trips to Chicago between January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017
- Trump’s trip to Mar-a-Lago between April 14 – 16 for Easter weekend with his family
Judicial Watch seeks Secret Service records for:
- Trump and companions’ trip to Mar-a-Lago between April 6 – 9
- Obama and companions’ trips to Chicago between January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017
- Obama and his companions’ trips to Chicago between January 20, 2017, and April 12, 2017
- Trump and companions’ trip to Mar-a-Lago April 14-16
“It is troubling to see such massive amounts of money paid out for trips that appear to have minimal value to the public interest,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “And it is frustrating to have file multiple FOIA lawsuits and engage in long-running court battles to get basic information about the costs of presidential travel.”