Giuliani backers claim First Lady is abusing flight privilegesBy Krys Murphy/CNN
February 3, 2000
Web posted at: 5:44 p.m. EST (2244 GMT)
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Supporters of New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani on Thursday charged that his likely Democratic opponent for a U.S. senate bid, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton,
failed to reimburse taxpayers for political trips on government jets.
Bruce Teitelbaum, campaign manager of Friends of Giuliani, told a news
conference that Clinton has used government aircraft for more than 30
trips from Washington to New York on political business.
He said her records indicate she's reimbursed the government for $34,000
to date while the estimated cost per trip on a typical government-owned jet is
around $20,000.
"Why haven't they reimbursed U.S. taxpayers for the cost of using this
plane on political trips for Mrs. Clinton?" Teitelbaum asked.
"When the first lady travels to New York and it is deemed political, we
reimburse the government," responded Howard Wolfson, Clinton's spokesman.
"We are following the law to the letter."
Federal law requires the government be reimbursed for the price of a
first-class ticket for personal travel on a government-owned aircraft.
Friends of Giuliani announced a new advertising campaign, a 30-second
commercial that will air in the upstate New York market beginning Thursday
evening or Friday morning. The commercial talks about the mayor's record of
creating jobs in New York City.
Neither Giuliani, a Republican, nor Clinton have officially announced
as candidates for the Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Daniel Patrick
Moynihan. The first lady is expected to formally announce her candidacy Sunday.
She has previously said she was waiting to make the announcement until she could be joined
by her husband, President Bill Clinton, and daughter Chelsea.
Giuliani's timetable is not yet known.
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