How to avoid another GSA boondoggle

When a federal agency can get away with using taxpayer money to pay for a Vegas clown, it's time to rethink how we uncover waste, fraud, and abuse

Dana Liebelson

In the age of the iPhone, does anyone still believe that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? Apparently certain officials from the General Services Administration (GSA) did, until the photos came back to haunt them. By now, the outrageous facts of the GSA scandal are old news: A lavish 2010 conference held by the agency in Las Vegas cost the government $823,000. The money was spent on extravagances like a clown, a mind reader, and a loft suite party. And all taxpayers got was this lousy photo of a boozy GSA commissioner beaming from a hot tub.

After news of the scandal broke, GSA chief Martha Johnson resigned, and other officials were either fired or placed on leave. Multiple hearings were held to address the GSA's "culture of wasteful spending." Democrats and Republicans alike lambasted the agency: President Obama was reportedly "apoplectic" about the scandal, and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney made a gosh-darn-it effort to pin the scandal back on the Obama administration.

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Dana Liebelson is a reporter for Mother Jones. A graduate of George Washington University, she has worked for a variety of advocacy organizations in the District, including the Project on Government Oversight, International Center for Journalists, Rethink Media, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and Change.org. She speaks Mandarin and German and plays violin in the D.C.-based Indie rock band Bellflur.