Nancy Pelosi Doesn't Fly Coach

Documents reveal speaker's strange flying requests

Britney Spears may have nothing on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's diva demands.

The San Francisco congresswoman has apparently taken to flying in style. And not just any style but military charter style, according to e-mails released this week.

Pelosi's staff has allegedly been "berating" military officials to get the best planes possibly for the speaker to fly across country, according to e-mails obtained by the government watchdog group Judicial Watch (you can read all the emails on their site) and first reported by The New York Post.

"Taken together, these documents show that Speaker Pelosi treats the Air Force like her personal airline," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton in a statement. "Not only does Speaker Pelosi issue unreasonable requests for military travel, but her office seems unconcerned about wasting taxpayer money with last minute cancellations and other demands."

Pelosi allegedly demanded that the military provide nonstop flight service when she flies home to the Bay Area. But that's not all. The emails show Pelosi demanding police protection on government planes. She even has a particular plane that is her favorite.

What is the plane of choice for a Speaker of the House? Well Nancy Pelosi prefers to fly in Gulfstream's G-5, made famous by Jay Z and 50-Cent rap videos.

"It is my understanding there are no G-5s available for the House during the Memorial Day recess. This is totally unacceptable . . . The speaker will want to know where the planes are," a Pelosi aide wrote in one of the e-mails to the military.

In another email the aide wanted one of the G-5s for a House delegation while they were already being used for senators and cabinet members.

"This is not good news, and we will have some very disappointed folks, as well as a very upset speaker," the e-mail said.

Apparently Pelosi has also developed a reputation for regularly requesting planes but then not using them. The speaker's inability to confirm a reservation has upset some because of the "hidden costs" involved with her indecision.

"We have... folks prepping the jets and crews driving in (not a short drive for some), cooking meals and preflighting the jets etc.," one of the emails said.

More documents show Pelosi's office requesting an Army escort and three military planes to transport her and other members of Congress to Cleveland, Ohio, for the funeral Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones.

To her credit though, Pelosi did acknowledge in her letter that the request was an "exception to standard policy."

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