Politics

Muffingate Returns: Inspector General Now Agrees That the Muffins Didn’t Cost Taxpayers $16 a Piece

Muffin Did Not Cost Taxpayer $16 each

(The Blaze/AP) Remember the $16 muffin, a sign of government spending out of control? It turns out that all the criticism was half-baked. In regards to the muffin at least.

The Justice Department’s office of inspector general is apologizing for erroneously concluding that a hotel charged the government $16 apiece for breakfast muffins.

The IG’s assertion last month prompted widespread criticism of government spending. A swift rebuttal came from Hilton Worldwide, which manages and franchises hotels including the Capital Hilton, the location for a Justice Department conference that served the muffins.

At the time, the IG said it stood by its report that the muffins were indeed that pricey.

On Friday, the IG’s office reversed itself, saying that it had received additional information concerning food and beverage costs and that the department did not pay $16 per muffin.

A Hilton spokesman has said the entire breakfast cost $16 per person, including taxes and gratuity. The Washington Post, however, notes that the revised report still described beef Wellington hors d’oeuvres at $7.32 per serving, and a $76-per-person lunch at a conference at a Hilton in San Francisco, featuring slow-cooked Berkshire pork carnitas, hearts-of-romaine salad — and coffee at $8.24 a cup.

A Hilton spokesman declined to comment to the Post Friday on the revised report.

Comments (86)

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  • quiltgal
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 2:13pm

    Forget out the $16 breakfast. What about the $76 lunch!

    Report Post »  
    • Mil-Dot
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 2:29pm

      Is anybody really suprised at this? I am not. This is what they do with out tax dollars. We are nothing but slaves to them. We don’t matter. They do.

      Report Post »  
    • PKama
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 3:16pm

      I wonder what a $ 8 cup of coffee taste like ?

      Report Post » PKama  
    • SgtHenick
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 3:24pm

      …coffee

      Report Post » SgtHenick  
    • the hawk
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 3:28pm

      Freshlike garden mix 2$, 2pack pork miss cuts 9$ Baby bakers(potatos) 1$ , 2LITER sams club diet coke.1$ . Family of four eating good at my house for 15$ sunday dinner ! DURNING THE WEEK OUR DINNER STAY UNDER 8$..But were makin it in America ! ! And we dont live on Mac&cheese and hot dog or chicken nuggets,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

      GOD BLESS THOSE 13 SOLDIERS AND THEIR FAMILYS ! !
      PLEASE BRING OUR TROOPS HOME ! let the Air force Do their Jobs And kill thy enemy ! !

      Report Post »  
    • Bear
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 3:40pm

      I am so tired of the free lunch Liberals,for Gods sake its just a muffin,why pay so much? Well they teach their pawns well just look at the cry baby Occupiers of wall street whining for their Socialist share? Washington isn‘t broke its corrupt and it won’t change until we vote in true change and that means the Socialist need to be fired! Don‘t waste your vote anymore on a Socialist they won’t bring you along for the ride if they win they will use you and leave you….your a pawn to them!

      Report Post » Bear  
    • Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 3:56pm

      I work for the Civil Service system. What happens is those guys go to these conferences, pay the 76 dollar fee for luncy, then claim it on the travel voucher. The only one who pays the bill is, ta dah, the taxpayer. So they don’t care how much it is, they aren’t paying the bill.

      Report Post » Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra  
    • freedomweiner
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 4:01pm

      http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=qtjfMjjce2Y

      Report Post »  
    • Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 4:08pm

      By the way it should be “lunch”. And I did find out why the muffins were 16 dollars. They didn’t spit in them, therefore the extra charge.

      Report Post » Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra  
    • Deep_Thoughts
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 4:58pm

      hawk you’re very sensible, but the closet conspiracy theorist in me wants to warn you about the dangers of diet soda

      Report Post » Deep_Thoughts  
    • the hawk
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 5:26pm

      Thanks ,,DEEP_THOUGHTS
      I will look into that !

      Report Post »  
    • tifosa
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 5:40pm

      Jon Stewart had fun with this…http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-september-28-2011/bill-o-reilly Interesting that Bush exploded the debt, have links to rw question costs of meals at conferences?

      Report Post » tifosa  
    • getalong
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 7:17pm

      There are so many departments in Washington that have been infiltrated by these big spenders who think nothing of using tax payer money to finance their own gain. Lots of house cleaning come 2012. Let’s hope Cain is up to the task

      Report Post »  
    • Jacque
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 7:47pm

      How about the 767 billion dollars to the useless stimulas and green companys, now they want another 600 billion. The dictator is hell bent on destroying my country before we vote his stupid kenyan a$$ out!

      Report Post »  
    • your sensei
      Posted on October 30, 2011 at 10:24am

      Jacque . . . $767 billion in useless stimulus. Is that the number? Of course more than $300 billion of that was tax cuts. So if that’s useless, why is a conservative like you still clamoring for tax cuts?

      I know, I’ve confused you again, haven’t I. Tell you what, just keep listening to Rush and Sean, they’ll keep you focused on what really matters – breakfast treats and Halloween candy. (Hey, could that be why so many conservatives are morbidly obese? Hmm, maybe just maybe.

      used treats. That’w where the real problem with Ame4ridba is. ?

      Report Post » your sensei  
  • drago
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 2:07pm

    I truely wish people and the media, would stop using the term, “government” when describing politicians and employees working federal jobs. Our “government consists of the constituion, elected officials and “we the people”. Politicians and employees of jobs created by said politicians, up to and including the office of the president are NOT our government, or form of our government!

    Report Post »  
  • One Man Progressive Wrecking Crew
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 2:05pm

    Naw Hilton and Oblamo‘s crew didn’t get together and cook some books to turn that on its head to alleviate the bad press for BOTH. They ridicule big business and bankers yet they’re in bed with both all day every day 365 . Yet their constituents are too lazy and or stupid to figure things out themselves and buy hook line and sinker everything these goons are selling them.

    Useful Idiots.(From Urban Dictionary ;) Unthinking proponents of socialism and/or communism.
    You can usually find them swarming the internet, participating in riots to promote tolerance, attempting to think up questions for themselves to answer, or sitting in Starbucks with their friends discussing the failings of capitalism over a light frappuccino.

    Report Post » One Man Progressive Wrecking Crew  
  • mattmo79
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 2:01pm

    Why are these bureaucrats staying at expensive 4 star hotels and having expensive meals? How about spending less and staying a budget hotels and cheap restaurants! No need to think you need to spend the peoples money this way!!

    Report Post » mattmo79  
    • HorseCrazy
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 3:05pm

      as the daughter of a federal worker I see the waste and so do my folks. they fly all over the world yearly for meetings. in my business we use a new fangled contraption called teleconference to save money as opposed to flying all over the effin world for fun.

      Report Post »  
    • GeorgieJo
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 4:15pm

      MATT
      Easy answer to your question NANCY PEELOOSKI SanFran is HER TOWN and she is ONE spoiled rotten apple who pouts when she doesn’t get her way
      BTW Peelooski was born in Maryland
      At this rate with Odummer spending our $—-we will be BROKE soon enough.

      Report Post »  
    • Cosmos102
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 7:54pm

      Speaking of Nancy Pelosi… I always wondered what it is about her that seems off kilter. Now I’ve figured it out. Close your eyes when she speaks and you‘ll think you’re listening to a 100 year old lady. When you open your eyes, she looks like an old lady who has been air brushed to hide her wrinkles. I bet she has that skin of her’s stretched every 6 mos. Her eyes look like they can‘t take any more pulling or they’ll pop out of her head. I wonder if she‘s in pain and that’s the reason for her “sunny” disposition.

      Report Post » Cosmos102  
  • Gabbie
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:59pm

    It is not class warfare, it is the government vs the rest of us. If you are in the government you can have lunches that run 76.00 per person, if you are in the private sector, then you being elitists and robbing the poor. He wants redistribution of the wealth, but it is for the rest of us, not the government.

    Report Post »  
    • RabidPatriot
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 2:11pm

      It’s not all government. It’s supervisory government. Blue collar govt. workers have to penny pinch and get by on scraps during training or conferences. Supervisors and elected officials live like kings and queens on the people’s money. I have been to both kind of conferences and let me tell you, administration really knows how to live it up. Spare no expense.

      Report Post » RabidPatriot  
  • COFemale
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:56pm

    Actual one muffin cost: $1.00
    One union worker to plate and put out the muffins (20 min): $14.00
    Hotel profit: $1.00

    Report Post » COFemale  
    • your sensei
      Posted on October 30, 2011 at 10:27am

      One F16 fighter jet to fly overhead and protect the muffin – $20 million.

      Report Post » your sensei  
  • sooner12
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:56pm

    These businesses know that when they are servicing the government they can charge what they want because the government spends freely the people’s money.

    Report Post »  
  • MR_ANDERSON
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:51pm

    “A Hilton spokesman has said the entire breakfast cost $16 per person, including taxes and gratuity.

    Now this is even a bigger news story. Gratuity can not be charged to the government, and often Taxes can not be charged either. This falls under Fraud of the Fraud, Waste, and Abuse of government spending!

    Who ever paid for this is about to find himself in hot water. I know, because I have one government credit card, and was just authorized for a second this week.

    Report Post »  
    • 13th Imam
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 2:04pm

      Just remember who is carrying the Hot Water. Eric the Red will pull his three monkey routine once again.

      Report Post » 13th Imam  
    • MR_ANDERSON
      Posted on October 30, 2011 at 7:55am

      I know people who have learned from experience that the three monkey routine does not work forever.

      Ignorance is not bliss.

      Report Post »  
  • tankyjo
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:46pm

    OH! Well that’s different now, isn’t it?

    Report Post » tankyjo  
    • MR_ANDERSON
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:54pm

      “A Hilton spokesman has said the entire breakfast cost $16 per person, including taxes and gratuity.”

      Gratuity can not be charged to the Government, and often Taxes can’t be charged either.

      This falls under Fraud of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse of Government spending.

      Report Post »  
  • swalt
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:42pm

    These arrogant slobs truly believe they are entitled to spend taxpayer money any way they like! There are now 2 classes in this country … the political elites (to be read as it was in Russia, ie the Politburo) and the rest of us. These pukes are dangerous.

    http://www.securefutureinbadtimes.com

    Report Post » swalt  
  • kansas hawks 3
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:41pm

    It is really to bad that our government don’t have any space to have a meeting in all the big expensive buildings that we tax payers pay for. Why do they always have to go to hotels??

    Report Post » kansas hawks 3  
    • metalurgy
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:57pm

      Because government employees are not held accountable for their actions. There is no penalty when they do a piss poor job (unless they are conservative). I know. Just ask Tim Geitner, Barney Frank, Criss Dodd, Bill Cliton, Jamie Gorellic, Chuck Rangel, Tom Daschel, William Holder, etc..

      Report Post » metalurgy  
  • T-2
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:40pm

    hahaha

    Report Post »  
  • YepImaConservative
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:35pm

    By the looks of that menu I can now understand why Liberal women in San Francisco have “Muffin Tops” hanging just above their @ss Antlers (Tramp Stamps).

    Report Post » YepImaConservative  
  • paperpushermj
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:30pm

    If it did not come down to $16 per Muffin, what was the cost the article does not say. It says breakfast was cost out at $16 per person. If it cost $16 for one Muffin and Cup of Coffee my anger at Governments frivolous spending of My tax money is not assuaged

    Report Post » paperpushermj  
  • mrsmileyface
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:30pm

    Any way you slice this muffin its expensive.

    Report Post » mrsmileyface  
  • jcizarter
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:30pm

    I did not get any of that and they stole from me to pay for that. Ron Paul and I believe that no one should think they are entitled to what I earn. Now I am very happy to pay a consumption tax. I hate the fact that I am paying for parties, salaries, free food, pensions, health insurance, and misc. for congressmen and senators and Barach and Michelle and their 2,000 Czars and their families. I hate the fact that my money goes for Abortions (murder), Wars, Aid to foreign countries without my consent. I need a say in this!

    Report Post » jcizarter  
  • banjarmon
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:29pm

    I could make muffins all day long and sell them at that price to the d o j $$$$$$$

    Report Post » banjarmon  
  • South Philly Boy
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:28pm

    I DONUT BELIEVE IT… Not at all

    Report Post » South Philly Boy  
  • jzs
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:28pm

    Old news. Much ado about muffin.

    Report Post » jzs  
  • 13th Imam
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:27pm

    Oh, So now you say it was an oversight, . Thanks for the transparency. NOT.

    Report Post » 13th Imam  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:27pm

    Now we have a muffingate cover up going on for muffin gate which again shows just how out of control the government really is.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • Comeandtakeit
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:27pm

    One word: webinar. Let them save money by having meetings by group conference call and brown bag it.

    Report Post »  
  • Idahosauce
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:24pm

    Wow, one day I hope I can live like a public SERVANT…just dream I guess…

    Report Post » Idahosauce  
  • randy
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:22pm

    On Friday, the IG’s office reversed itself, saying that it had received additional information concerning food and beverage costs and that the department did not pay $16 per muffin.

    $16.00 Muffin? No way!
    $16.00 muffin and small Orange Juice……. Yep!
    Love how they word it……
    DO we really look that stupid?

    Report Post » randy  
    • CatB
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:33pm

      My thoughts exactly … still a rip off!

      TEA!

      ($8 for a cup of coffee .. even Starbucks doesn’t charge that much — at least I don’t think– I don’t like Starbucks coffee )

      Report Post »  
  • Tranzwarr
    Posted on October 29, 2011 at 1:20pm

    boy imagine having to pay that living in your own neighborhood grocery or restaurant?

    Report Post » Tranzwarr  
    • babylonvi
      Posted on October 29, 2011 at 6:48pm

      Just wait, the administration is working on it. Net it won’t take 2 years until it does cost that much.

      Report Post » babylonvi  
    • Bill Rowland
      Posted on October 30, 2011 at 5:33am

      Bought dinner for 5 people at the local diner Friday night, spend $60,00 and that included a 20% tip.

      OMG

      Report Post »  
    • your sensei
      Posted on October 30, 2011 at 10:39am

      Bill Rowland . . . Better yet, everybody got a toy!

      Report Post » your sensei  
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