Times have changed. On two recent occasions, CEOs of prominent corporations were asked for their credit cards to pay for a White House lunch to which they were invited. Surely they expensed the mid-day meals to their company accounts, but the instances have made news because they're without precedent.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki explained, "From time to time, White House guests are asked to reimburse for their meals in order to ensure there is no conflict or appearance of a conflict. That is consistent with our tough ethics rules, and we will continue the practice when appropriate."
Source: Getty
Ruco Line
Untold
theOutnet
Ehhh I am not sure how I feel about this. I can't imagine being *invited* anywhere for a meal and then asked to pay for my food. This just seems so tacky, even if these guys could obviously afford the bill. I know we're in an economic crisis, blah blah blah, but if Obama thinks it's important to meet with these people, I think it's OK for the taxpayers to pay for their meals (as long as there is nothing too extravagant being ordered).
And please, they're doing this to avoid a conflict of interest? The only way to do that is to charge ALL White House guests for their food, and I am sure Obama isn't sending his mother-in-law a tab for her meals.
1Truthfully, no. I think it's rude to invite people over, and have them pay for their meals, even if it's for business. What a shabby way to treat (business) guests. To me, that's unethical.
2I agree...I think it's rude to invite people for dinner and then ask them to pay me back. I have a hard enough time accepting hostess gifts from my guests, let alone asking people to pay me for the dinner. Granted, money may be tight, but I don't think that the food budget is where to cut.
3I think this is beyond tacky!
4would you do this at your house?
5Wow, this is so tacky.
6Post New Comment
Please share your opinion with our community, but make sure it is on topic and follows our Community Rules. We moderate comments and prohibit personal attacks, threats, spam, lewd images, or the promotion of your personal website.