Secret Service Won't Repay City for Obama's Security Tab

Apr 27, 2012
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NEWPORT BEACH, CA -- Newport Beach's attempt to collect $35,000 from the Obama campaign for security costs just got a lot trickier.
The bill should go to the Secret Service, agency spokesman Max Milien said Monday. But the city should know that the Secret Service refuses to pay it, he added.
“We do not reimburse police agencies for assisting us in providing our protective duties,” Milien said. “This is not new. We have never reimbursed police departments.”
The city has been trying to collect a $35K past-due bill from President Barack Obama for his February fundraising trip to Corona Del Mar, but it’s the Secret Service that is responsible for security, Milien said.
In the meantime, Newport Beach has had better luck collecting from the Romney campaign. A similar, yet cheaper bill sent to Mitt Romney's campaign for $10,441 the city spent on police and security measures during the Republican presidential hopeful's June 1 campaign stop at the Balboa Bay Club and Resort was paid on July 23, according to Tara Finnigan, city spokeswoman.
The president's $35,043 tab was due June 9, but no payment ever reached Newport Beach. Finnigan said the Newport Beach Police Department addressed the reimbursement issue with the Secret Service during a planning meeting before the president's stop in Newport Beach.
"Our staff was told by a Secret Service representative that the agency would not reimburse Newport Beach and that we should check with the president’s campaign or the Democratic National Committee," Finnigan said in a released statement. "The city sent an invoice to the campaign office."
As of today, the bill had not been paid. Finnigan said the city's billing system generates two past-due statements 30 days apart and unpaid invoices will eventually be sent to collections.
"The Democratic National Committee has informed the city that the invoice is not the DNC’s responsibility," Finnigan said. "The city has not spoken to the Secret Service again about the invoice nor has any member of our staff spoken to a representative of Obama for America. Therefore, we continue to believe that the invoice was correctly sent to the campaign office."
However, the Secret Service has a different version of events.
The Secret Service never advised the city to bill the campaign, said Milien, the Secret Service’s spokesman.
“I am not going to get into a debate,” Milien added.
The expense for the president’s security detail should have been straightened out ahead of time, he said.
When a presidential candidate arrives in town, the Secret Service works with local law enforcement to provide security, which may include advanced sweeps and crowd control, said Milien. At the outset, the Secret Service informs agencies they will not be reimbursed, and if the local police force is unable to assist with security, another agency will be brought in to help, added Milien.
Newport never asked for outside help, he said.
But the city isn't ready to give up on the bill.
Finnigan said because sending the past-due invoice to collections is a last resort, a member of the city's finance department recently sent a reminder email to the campaign.
In response to the city's invoice, the DNC said it did not coordinate security measures for Obama's CDM event and has no plans to pay the bill.
“The DNC did not participate in security, traffic control, fire or EMS planning. All such decisions, including their impact on costs incurred by federal, state or local governments, are exclusively within the control of the appropriate government officials," Amanda Howe, the DNC's chief operating officer, said in a letter to the city. "Should there be a question about the allocation of expenses among the cooperating authorities, we assume that it should be directed to the U.S. Secret Service."

Related Topics: Newport Beach and President Obama

Newport Beach is trying to collect $35,000 from obama for security costs. The ss says the bill should go to them but they will not pay it. The city has been trying to collect $35,000 from a PAST DUE bill

Essentially there is a runaround, with all sides pointing fingers at someone else, no one has the guts to take responsibility.

Interesting that mitt romney paid his bill on July 23 for a June 1 campaign stop


If romney can pay his bill then why cant obama pay for his?

obama should pay his bill since the city is screwed out of that money because of him. The ss shouldn't pay for the bill since the taxpayer will have to cover it.

Do you agree that obama should pay the bill?

http://newportbeach.patch.com/artic...t-reimburse-newport-for-obama-s-security-bill
 

lotus503

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2005
6,502
1
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Newport Beach is trying to collect $35,000 from obama for security costs. The ss says the bill should go to them but they will not pay it. The city has been trying to collect $35,000 from a PAST DUE bill

Essentially there is a runaround, with all sides pointing fingers at someone else, no one has the guts to take responsibility.

Interesting that mitt romney paid his bill on July 23 for a June 1 campaign stop


If romney can pay his bill then why cant obama pay for his?

obama should pay his bill since the city is screwed out of that money because of him. The ss shouldn't pay for the bill since the taxpayer will have to cover it.

Do you agree that obama should pay the bill?

http://newportbeach.patch.com/artic...t-reimburse-newport-for-obama-s-security-bill

You missed the part where the secret service has never paid for security assistance. Why would they now?
 

Doppel

Lifer
Feb 5, 2011
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You missed the part where the secret service has never paid for security assistance. Why would they now?
it seems fair to me that the SS pays any town, city, etc. for money they need to spend to support a president's visit unless they make a special request and he otherwise wasnt planning on it. If this isn't law it should be.
 

Charles Kozierok

Elite Member
May 14, 2012
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Things must be getting slow on the faux outrage front -- the troll is now digging up six-month-old "news" stories to hyperventilate over.

Unless it is generally accepted practice for towns to be reimbursed in these situations, Newport Beach is out of luck.
 
Apr 27, 2012
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it seems fair to me that the SS pays any town, city, etc. for money they need to spend to support a president's visit unless they make a special request and he otherwise wasnt planning on it. If this isn't law it should be.

The problem is that if the ss pays for it then the taxpayer ultimately pays for it. Why doesn't obama just pay for it himself, does the pos think he is that special? Next time the town should just say no that crap
 

monovillage

Diamond Member
Jul 3, 2008
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It's Newport Beach's own damn fault for providing extra security, they should have know they wouldn't be paid and shouldn't have helped protect the asshole in the first place.
 

Pens1566

Lifer
Oct 11, 2005
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Yet another thread by the worst poster on the forum. Shocked that it's worthless.
 
Apr 27, 2012
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It's Newport Beach's own damn fault for providing extra security, they should have know they wouldn't be paid and shouldn't have helped protect the asshole in the first place.

Good point especially about calling him an asshole:D

Towns should NOT provide security at all and should not incur any costs. This is money that the taxpayer will probably be screwed out of
 

CrackRabbit

Lifer
Mar 30, 2001
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dont-feed-the-troll.jpg

banhim.jpg


Must keep posting until people get the message.
 

monovillage

Diamond Member
Jul 3, 2008
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You're absolutely right. The alternative is way more cost effective. :eek:

The bullshit part of it was that it was a campaign stop, not an official presidential visit. His damn campaign should have paid the bill for the cost of the extra security. They didn't, instead they passed the buck to the Secret Service who have a policy of not paying local security.
Obama and the Obama campaign should have payed the bill, instead they saddled Newport Beach with the added cost.
 

Smoblikat

Diamond Member
Nov 19, 2011
5,184
107
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Newport Beach is trying to collect $35,000 from obama for security costs. The ss says the bill should go to them but they will not pay it. The city has been trying to collect $35,000 from a PAST DUE bill

Essentially there is a runaround, with all sides pointing fingers at someone else, no one has the guts to take responsibility.

Interesting that mitt romney paid his bill on July 23 for a June 1 campaign stop


If romney can pay his bill then why cant obama pay for his?

obama should pay his bill since the city is screwed out of that money because of him. The ss shouldn't pay for the bill since the taxpayer will have to cover it.

Do you agree that obama should pay the bill?

http://newportbeach.patch.com/artic...t-reimburse-newport-for-obama-s-security-bill


Hussein is a librul, he wants Romney to pay both his own bill and obamas. Thats how liberals work, they want everyone else to pay for them because they are all fat, lazy, and useless.
 

Texashiker

Lifer
Dec 18, 2010
18,811
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such a dumb thing to say

No, it is not a dumb thing to say.

The justice department wants to fight states over immigration and voter rights, then the states need to stop protecting federal officials.

Let the states deal with their issues, and let the federal government deal with its issues.
 

werepossum

Elite Member
Jul 10, 2006
29,873
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I'm conflicted. On one hand, I think campaigning is inherently a non-Presidential function and should be paid fully from campaign funds. On the other hand, he's always the President; do we really want to set up a situation where our President is less secure because of campaign funding concerns? Although most of local LEOs' activities with the President are control rather than personal security, they are responsible for preventing things like car bombs from getting close enough to prove a danger. No way can the Secret Service provide enough resources to provide this function.

Frankly, I could argue either side of this issue. Perhaps the best solution would be to have the federal government pay for both sides' LEO protection, at least after the parties have their respective nominees. That way neither side gets an undue financial advantage and what can be a crushing burden doesn't fall alone on individual townships.
 
Apr 27, 2012
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The bullshit part of it was that it was a campaign stop, not an official presidential visit. His damn campaign should have paid the bill for the cost of the extra security. They didn't, instead they passed the buck to the Secret Service who have a policy of not paying local security.
Obama and the Obama campaign should have payed the bill, instead they saddled Newport Beach with the added cost.

Yes, his campaign should pay for the pos security not the taxpayer. Does this guy have any shame?

And this isn't the first time he has done this, the pos has wasted over $1MILLION ON SS SECURITY
 

wirednuts

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2007
7,121
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these things arent worked about before hand? you suddenly expect someone to pay a bill that you never charged them before? california, kinda like florida but not as shooty.