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The Justice Department says their Inspector General’s conclusion that they paid $16 per muffin at a legal conference in 2009 is, pardon the pun, half baked.
“Under a complete accounting of the services provided for the Executive Office for Immigration Review conference, it is clear that the muffins did not cost $16,” DOJ spokeswoman Gina Talamona said in a statement.
“The abbreviated banquet checks did not reflect all of the food and services provided,” Talamona said in an email to reporters. “The package consisted of food, beverages, staff services and function space, including a 450-seat ballroom and more than a dozen workshop and breakout rooms each of the five days of the conference.”
That jibes with what the hotel said about the package, which had come under criticism from Sen. Chuck Grassley and led the White House to crack down on conference spending.
Ryan J. Reilly
Ryan J. Reilly is a D.C.-based reporter for TPM. Prior to joining TPM, he worked for a news website covering the Justice Department and was a researcher for Bloomberg News. His email address is ryan(at)talkingpointsmemo.com.
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