newsobserver.com projects - McCrory's free trip to Paris - Comments

Re: McCrory's free trip to Paris

myze13325 — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:50:14 -0400

Good at least he did not charge us $200K and rent limo's and five star hotels like Easley's wife did to let the ignorant tax payers foot the bill.

Re: McCrory's free trip to Paris

wwf165 — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:34:23 -0400

I look forward to seeing the logs of Bev Perdue's travel during the past eight years. I doubt all of her trips traversing the state at tax payers expense were all related to her official Lt. Governor duties.

Perdue Travel Records?

JimBlaine — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:26:30 -0400

Are they forthcoming? I'm sure the Lt. Gov's office will release them to the public in keeping with her commitment to open and transparent government.

Re: McCrory's free trip to Paris

domewatcher — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:21:32 -0400

I was reading along and getting real concerned that there was something "untoward" in all this. But then it was all cleared up for me when you wrote:

".....and it was approved by the city attorney."

That pretty much settles it for me. Approval by the city attorney ranks right up there with the truthful information I get when I drink coffee at Bojangles. It just don't get no better than that.

Thanks for clearing it up for us.

McCrory's free trip to Paris

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:12:42 -0400

Pat McCrory and his wife flew to Paris in 2000 with tickets given by an airline.

A recent TV ad by the Alliance for North Carolina notes that the Republican gubernatorial candidate "accepted free travel to Paris for himself and his wife," citing a April 14, 2000, story in the Charlotte Observer.

The article notes that the McCrorys flew first-class to Paris compliments of U.S. Airways for a two-week trip that combined a trade mission to France and Germany with a vacation.

The couple then paid for their own tickets to Italy for a vacation, and the airline paid for their flight back from Italy. McCrory noted in the article that the return flight would have cost the same whether it was from Rome or Paris.

He was not the only public official to get the perk. U.S. Airways also flew then-Gov. Jim Hunt and a state trooper to France for the trade mission for free. Expenses for other state officials on the trip were paid for by the state.

"This trip was not a frivolous use of taxpayer dollars (i.e. there were no limos or $60 hamburgers for Gov. Hunt, Mayor McCrory, or their spouses) and it was approved by the city attorney," noted McCrory spokeswoman Amy Auth in an e-mail to Dome. "Every one of Pat's travel records were released to the media during his tenure as mayor."