Biden Vacayed for Cheap in Fancy Federal Log Cabin

Other Obama bigwigs also apparently stayed at Wyoming's Brinkerhoff Lodge
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 29, 2014 2:41 PM CDT
Biden Vacayed for Cheap in Fancy Federal Log Cabin
Vice President Joe Biden enjoys an ice cream cone after a campaign rally for Oregon US Sen. Jeff Merkley in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 8, 2014.    (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

With its ritzy decor and stunning view of the Grand Tetons, Wyoming's Brinkerhoff Lodge sounds like a vacation home fit for a king—or at least for VP Joe Biden and high-level Obama team members who've all stayed at the fancy log cabin with their families and friends. But there's a problem: The four-bedroom lakeside home is owned and managed by the National Park Service, and its policy bans federal employees from using the place for anything other than "official purposes," Time reports. Since 2011, Biden, at least four Cabinet members, and even the director of the NPS have all kicked back at the lodge, with various friends and family members in tow.

The Department of the Interior is now making the NPS investigate these stays, according to an email sent to Time, and to "seek reimbursement, where appropriate." There's no record of any payment for any of the aforementioned stays, other than $150 from Ken Salazar after a three-night stay, and officials contacted by Time expressed confusion over the need to pay. In Biden's case, a Grand Teton National Park spokeswoman said the VP was the recipient of an "official" park briefing and tour during his August stay. An unnamed rep from Biden's office said they've been waiting two months for a park invoice and will cough up $1,200 (based on a GSA-listed typical overnight hotel stay) to compensate the park. (More Joe Biden stories.)

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