WSJ Tried the Impossible – Defend HHS Sec. Price

And Failed Of Course

The mantra of the editors of the WSJ is simple. No conservative Republican is ever wrong. So incredible as it may be, they are trying to excuse the use of private jets and military aircraft by gone and so soon to be forgotten HHS Secretary Price. How you might ask (ask, ask) could they possibly do this?

Well here's how.

Mr. Price has been taking media heat for flying on private jets, and he surely should have known better than to give his enemies a sword. Yet Mr. Price had said he would reimburse the government for the cost of his private air travel, cutting a check for nearly $52,000. 

Of course the costs of his flights was close to $1 million. So he offers to pay 5 cents on the dollar and that should make it okay? And then there's

Perhaps the President thinks dumping Mr. Price will send a populist message, but we wonder. Mr. Price is merely a political appetizer. His resignation is motivation for the swamp denizens to go after others in the Trump Administration on whatever issue they can find. Mr. Trump can expect to be answering questions soon about how this or that cabinet travel differs from Mr. Price’s.

See, firing Mr. Price will mean that, good gosh, maybe other wrong doing will be punished? But wait, the always good argument is that Obama, or his minions did it.

And if taking private jets is a firing offense, there will soon be many empty first-class seats in Washington. A 2013 Government Accountability Office report found that then Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller used government jets to take personal trips, which they reimbursed at a rate comparable to commercial flight prices.

Okay, a couple of slight corrections to the always wrong WSJ editors is needed here. First of all Mr. Price didn't take government jets, he took much more expensive and unnecessary private charters. And he didn't do any repaying until he got caught whereas it looks like the Obama people voluntarily paid the government for the costs. And nowhere does the WSJ say the Obama people took military flights. And of course Holder and Mueller were involved in law enforcement, not health care mismanagement.

The Journal ends on this note.

Perhaps he can coax former Oklahoma Senator and medical doctor Tom Coburn to take the job. But if Mr. Trump keeps treating his cabinet officers like “The Apprentice” cast, he might find that no one wants to work for him.

Not to worry, Washington is filled with men and women who will sacrifice any shred of dignity and courage and self worth they might have to work for Trumpie. Just ask Gary Cohn, Kellyanne, Gen. McMcaster, Steve Mnuchin and the long list that is too long to print.