Oops: $16 Muffin Never Happened

Government auditor apologizes for headline-grabbing error
By Mark Russell,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 29, 2011 5:41 AM CDT
Auditor Retracts Report of $16 Government Muffins
Remember those $16 muffins that set off a flurry of indignation about government waste? Turns out they never existed.   (Flickr)

Remember how impossible it seemed that the government would pay $16 for a single muffin? Well, apparently it was so impossible that it didn't really happen. The inspector general of the Justice Department apologized yesterday for the original report in September, saying it was all a misunderstanding, reports the AP. As it turns out, $16.80 was the cost of a "modified continental breakfast," which included pastries, juice, fruit, and coffee.

"We regret the error in our original report," said the inspector general's report. "After discussions with the Capital Hilton" and the Justice Department, "we determined that our initial conclusions concerning the itemized costs of refreshments at the EOIR conference were incorrect." Skeptics had cast doubt on the original report almost from the get-go. (More Justice Department stories.)

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