Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stuck taxpayers with at least $55,000 in charges to cover part of the cost of her international book tour, including a $3,668-hotel stay and more than $5,000 for rental vans, the Daily Mail reported.
Hillary Rodham Clinton signs a copy of her book “Hard Choices,” Thursday, July 17, 2014, in Ridgewood, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
While Clinton continues to have a security detail as a former first lady, the same courtesy is not typically extended to former cabinet officials. Nevertheless, the State Department covered about $50,000 of the cost of her swing through Germany and France, according to the Daily Mail, citing “procurement documents, even though Clinton stepped down from her post in February 2013.
The Department of Homeland Security reportedly covered the $5,100 to rent three Mercedes-Benz executive limousine vans in Berlin. The Daily Mail said it could not locate the cost of the German hotel stays.
Another expense was $3,668 for a hotel suite at the Four Seasons George V hotel in Paris, a rate that buys a “large and superbly appointed marble bathroom,” a “deep soaking tub,” “sparkling chandeliers” and “elegant period furniture,” according to the Daily Mail
The Secret Service spent $11,291 on vans in Paris; another $35,183 was spent on lodging in Paris for government officials, though it wasn’t clear how much of that went to Clinton’s security detail, according to the Daily Mail. While in Paris, Clinton was photographed with French President Francois Hollande.
Clinton’s book, “Hard Choices,” covers her tenure at the State Department during President Barack Obama’s first term.