Pingree Cleared of Ethics Questions over Private Jet Trip

Photo via The Portland Press Herald

There was a big to-do about U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) flying aboard a Dassault Falcon 2000EX owned by her fiancé Donald Sussman. In the past, Pingree has been critical of legislators using private aircraft including testifying before congress saying:

Most Americans never have and never will fly on a chartered jet, much less a fancy corporate jet complete with wet bar and leather couches. So when members of Congress constantly fly around on corporate jets and pay only the cost of a commercial ticket, it contributes to the corrosive public perception that members of Congress are more like the fat cats of Wall Street than they are like the rest of us.

Rep. Pingree was correct about the perception, but sadly the perception isn’t the reality. Lawmakers that fly on chartered jets, especially on their own dime, are often doing so because that’s the only way they can make their busy schedules work! NBAA’s No Plane No Gain campaign illustrates the time savings associated with private jet travel brilliantly.

The problem comes when those lawmakers are flying for deeply discounted prices thanks to corporate interest. Flying with one’s fiancé can hardly be considered a corporate interest, which is why I think Pingree is guilty of nothing! Unfortunately this issue will be beaten to death in the coming election season instead of the real issues that face the country.

/politics haha.
You can see the youtube video of her getting off the gorgeous Falcon here: