The hosts of “Morning Joe” on Friday slammed President Donald Trump’s “crony cabinet” — particularly embattled — Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price — for its use of tax-payer funded private jet to travel short distances.
“It’s the bad mindset of the people at the top,” said Willie Geist, filling in for usual co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinksi.
“They shouldn’t be even thinking of getting on these planes. How could the process exist within these departments that people in the legal affairs department, the ethics office, how could they possibly sign off on it?”
Nicolle Wallace pointed out that Donald Trump’s cabinet members are often much more scrutinized that the president himself.
“When Donald Trump says that [he] could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and [his] base would forgive [him], he’s largely correct,” she said. “But that does not extend to his crony cabinet.”
Price came under particularly under fire despite announced plans to reimburse the government for his private plane use. Trump, when asked if Price’s job was secure, told reporters earlier this week, “We’ll see.”
Mark Halperin, another “Morning Joe” regular, said, “If they can find someone else to take his job, he probably won’t survive it, but it’s not clear anyone wants that position right now that would be confirmed.”
The hosts then reveled in the hypocrisy of Price’s previous criticism of wasteful spending by the Obama administration.
“There’s ethics and stupidity,” said contributor Donny Deutsch. “If you’ve gone from Washington to Philadelphia, forget the expense. To go to the airport, get on a private jet, and then get to Philly and go back — it’s actually less time to take an Amtrak. That’s the ridiculous thing. Just the efficiency of just how you manage your day that I need this largess. so that’s stupidity on top of moral corruption.”
Check out their conversation in the clip above.