johnson is the former administrator of the general services administration. mr. jeff neely is the regional commissioner of public building services in the pacific rim region at the general services administration. mr. michael j. robertson is chief of staff at the general services administration and mr. david e. foley is the deputy commissioner of public building service at the general services administration. pursuant to our rules all witnesses are required to take the oath, would you please rise, raise your right hand to take the oath. do you solemnly swear or affirm that the testimony you're about to give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. let the record reflect that all witnesses answered in the affirmative. in order to allow time for discussion testimony will be limited to five minutes. some of you have written statements some do not. in other case -- your written statement will be platsed in the record in their entirety. you may read your written statement for five minutes or make other such comments that you think may be helpful to

so it's pretty much the way it was when general services administration discovered what this building was when they were getting ready to demolish the building. general services administration wanted to sell many of the buildings on this block that they owned, and so they -- because this was old and dilapidated, they decided they wanted to demolish it so a developer could come in and build something new, but once they discovered the things in the attic on the third floor, they decided that the space was so historically important that they wanted to save the space instead of destroy it and build something new. this is the original staircase that clara used that has never been renovated or changed at all. just a few repairs done to it, so when you walk up the staircase and put your hand on the bannister, you're walking in clara barton's footsteps. she did this for about eight years during the civil war era and just after when she operated a missing soldiers office in the space, and eventually she ended up leaving because her health became so poor and she was so exhausted from the work s

memorial with the eisenhower commission, the national capitol planning commission, the general service administrations, the d.c. state historic preservation office and the advisory office on historic preservation. on march 6th of 2012, the national parks service issued the finding of no significant impact, which is a determination that the memorial completed as of the current schematic design, will not have a significant impact on the environment. the memorial was scheduled to go before the national capitol planning commission on april 5th, 2012, at which time the national parks service and the eisenhower memorial commission would seek preliminary design approval. on march 14th, the eisenhower memorial commission asked that this review be deferred in response to recent concerns about the design. the national park service is honored to play a role in the establishment of commemorative works in our nation's capital. the process as directed by congress has worked very well, and we expect that the eisenhower memorial will ultimately be a source of pride for our entire nation. mr. chairman, this concludes

for a second straight day member of the general services administration are battered by congress for lavish spending of taxpayer money. >> 44 bucks for breakfast? i'm a big man. i can't spend 44 bucks for breakfast. >>> and a win for the ages. 49-year-old jamie moyer becomes the oldest pitcher to ever win a major league baseball game. >>> this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, april 18, >>> this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, april 18, 2012. >>> good morning. thanks for joining us. >>> good morning, thanks for joining us. i'm michelle miller. amid growing concerns about security and the president's safety, an independent government investigator is look into the scandal that's rocked the secret service. we know now at least 20 women had been in the hotel room of the agents and military personnel prior to president obama's visit. susan mcginnis has the latest from washington. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the men involved are apparently telling different stories about who these women are. the women involved are now being interviewed by investigators. and the

on the emphasis with the general services administration. i had the honor of being appointed by president obama to be the administrator at the general services administration. during 18 years that this committee, there were many issues this addressed, but none of like the level of wasteful spending and lack of management associate with the western region conference. as a taxpayer, i share your anger and disappointment of misconduct. when i first became aware of the excessive spending, i requested that the gsa's office conduct a review of these allegations. i am grateful to mr. miller and his office for covering and reporting these abuses. i believe the inspector general should report an immediate reaction to gsa. i advocate such action. i'm committed to working to restore faith in the agency. not only to members of this committee, but also colleagues and other government agencies. more importantly, the government taxpayer. i look for to answer any questions you may have. >> good morning, chairman denham and members of the subcommittee. in the

general services administration. i appreciate the opportunity to come before the committee today. first and foremost, i want to state that the waste and abuse outlined in the inspector general's report is an outrage and completely antithetical to the goals of the administration. the report details violations of travel rules, acquisition rules, and good conduct. just as importantly, those responsible violated rules of common sense, the spirit of public service and the trust that the american taxpayers have placed in us. i speak for the overwhelming majority of gsa staff when i say that we are shocked, appalled and deeply disappointed by these indefensible actions as you are. we've taken strong action against those officials who are responsible, and will continue to do so where appropriate. i intend to uphold the highest ethical standards at this agency, including referring any criminal activity to appropriate law enforcement officials and taking any action that is necessary and appropriate. if we find irregularities, i will immediately engage gsa's inspector general. as indicated i

just recently the general services administration got in touch with my museum, the national museum of civil war medicine, and we together proposed a partnership to make this space a museum so people everywhere could enjoy the historical significance of this and hopefully learn about humanitarianism and the importance of public service. so, the building was originally scheduled for demolition. it was owned by gsa. they did end up selling it with a perpetual easement for the entire third floor which was miss barton's space and half of the first floor where we hoped to put in a welcome center and have educational programs. the gsa felt pretty strongly about that and were waiting for the right kind of partner to come along, and the medical museum aspect of it and, of course, clara barton contributed significantly to the medical efforts during the american civil war. so, she's a natural part of our museum already, and we're very enthusiastic about being able to tell people more about her and use this space to help us do that. this is the space that she would have lived in. if you look up a

secret service and the general services administration this week. where workers on the taxpayer dime allegedly went way, way outside the lines. first, michael, a brief recap. >> i don't know if it's stage three or four. gwen: i don't know. >> if you've been frustrated with government this is a fun time. officials of the general service administration, that's an agency that takes care of office space and other functions, managed to throw $1 million conference for themselves outside of las vegas. including spending $7,000 on sushi and $3,200 on a mind reader. when that story broke, we had four congressional investigations. about half dozen officials at the g.s.a. lost or -- lost their jobs or resigned. and congress is moving now toward a measure that would cap the cost of conferences at $500,000 which will make it harder to be a federal contract mind reader. the other story that broke almost as soon as that one had come out, and overshadowed it quickly is about how nearly two dozen secret service agents along with as many as perhaps 11 military person

. >>> included in this week's series of hearings looking into a general services administration conference in lave was one before a house infrastructure subcommittee. witnesses included a former gsa official who attended the conference and the administrator who first alerted the inspector general about the conference. this part of the hearing is a little more than three hours. >> two weeks ago the inspector general released a scathing report on gsa conference that cost taxpayers nearly a million dollars. seen a lot of reports about the las vegas lavish vacation, the spending. and i appreciate mr. cummings, ranking member cummings on the government oversight committee, as well as chairman issa for discussing in great detail those lavish expenditures and the wrongdoing that happened with the las vegas vacation. the purpose of this question is to talk about the systemic problem, how deep it goes, the corruption, the fraud, the waste that's not just within the western region, but within gsa as a whole and possibly within other agencies. this committee is going to lay out a timeline of how many

of general government management issues, but with an emphasis on the operations of the general services administration. on february 2nd, 2010 -- 2011 i had the honor of being appointed by president obama to the position of deputy administrator at the general services administration. during my 18 years with this committee there were many serious issues that this committee addressed but none rises to the level of the wasteful spending and lack of management associated with the western regions conference. as deputy administrator, as a civil servant, and as a taxpayer i share your anger and disappointment in gsa's conduct. when i first became aware of the excessive spending related to the western regions conference, i requested that the gsa's office of inspector general conduct a review of these allegations. i'm grate tofl mr. miller and his office for the work they did in uncovering and reporting these abuses. i believe the inspector general's report warranted immediate corrective action within gsa, and i advocated for such action. i'm committed to working with acting administrator mr. tangherlini to res

turn over a stone we find 50 more and we find things crawling out under them. >> the general services administration has been mired in scandal dating back to the jimmy carter administration. former metro boss now cleaning up the miss. >> we will look at the entire structure of the agency's top to bottom. >> they all agreed the gsa has temporarily given all of washington a big black eye. >> this is outrageous behavior regardless of whose administration it is. >> the inspector general says since the scandal came to light many more whistle-blowers are calling the hot line. leaders are demanding several reimbursed taxpayers for the expenses. leaders will not talk about punishment that might be heading might beneely. >> -- might be coming to jeff neely. >> which cell phone company has the fastest speed for your smartphone? >> the health of the chesapeake gets a shockingly low grade. >> parts of the year are getting some rain and other people waiting to see some. >> we are back with more talk about tolls on interstate 95 in virginia. >> an agreement could be in place by this winter. three ideas are being

. >> in basic function of the general services administration is to create policies and practices that save the government and taxpayers' money. the gsa are embroiled in a spending scandal. the more lavish spending and poor judgment of follows many to las vegas affected members of the general service administration in washington d.c.. employees organized a conference to the spot and casino in 2010 at a cost of more than $820,000 for 300 attendees ha. this is according to a scathing report from the inspector general. agencies have stepped down. two other high-ranking employees have been fired according to the washington post. officials found many conference expenditures excessive with full, and not permissible. expenses just to plan the trip cost more than $100,000, catering $150,000. a team building exercise involving building bicycles cost $75,000. coins that came in velvet-lined boxes and the addition of more than $3,000 for a mind reader and a clown. taxpayers can't believe these revelations. >> wasting money while a lot of people are in need. it is just a shot and a bit of a disapp

story on this tuesday, maryland congressman, cummings is blasting the actions of the general services administration, or the gsa, after the agency spent 800,000 of your dollars for a lavish resort expense and a conference in las vegas. sherrie johnson is here with new reaction. seems like with each passing day, this story gets darker and darker. >> that's right. we are hearing all new information from congressman elijah cummings, congress turns up the heat in the investigation of $823,000 general services administration conference, at a las vegas resort in 2010. lawmakers learned more from jeff kneelly, a executive, who threw a party on the taxpayer's dime. he invited friends and offed to pay for the hotel room. >> he invited personal friends, i quote, this is simply incredible, quote, we will get you guy as room near us, we will pick up the room tab. he wrote this, i know i'm bad, as we often say, why not enjoy it, while we have it and while we can. ain't going to last forever. end of quote. mr. kneelly rs it stops now. the hearings pick up today, robert peck is set to testify on the misuse of taxp

today the acting chief of the general service's administration testified he had a little bit light on the spinning sprees. craig boswell has the story. >> lawmakers say gsa employees didn't just clown around at a conference in las vegas in 2010. the group spent more than $800,000 on suites and lavish meals and gifts all taxpayer money. and it wasn't the first vegas trip. there were nine others. >> to those who betrayed the public trust, let me be clear, the party is over. >> the general service's administration gets attention from the senate after two daysover grilling before a house panel. >> there's any video here, it isn't going to happen here. we have the two good guys here. we aren't going to be accusing anybody. >> outlines steps to halt wasteful spending. >> i hold the highest ethical standards, including -- >> dan says employees sidestep daily spending limits, which allow lavish spending on food and drinks. >> thank you for the opportunity to be here today. >> also detailed excessive gifts, including ipods, digital cameras, other electronics and a two-week trip to the south pa

heads rolling at the general services administration amidst a spending scandal. head of the general services administration resigned yesterday. employeeshigh-ranking have been fired. found they improperly for an over-the-top near las vegas. $820,000 conference featured a bicycle giveaway, and a lavish reception. prince george's county lawmakers to propose an amendment to states and the gambling bill? . amendment would require a of $800investment construction of a casino in the county. some state lawmakers and county executive rushern baker are a $1 billion casino harbor.onal say it would be a national attraction. >>al interests technology, census is0 u.s. leading to online problems to. good news formore apple. rob nelson more. >> praise for the new ipad reports. praise is the camera and battery life it speed and says w benchmark fore excellence. the heat is not a cause for concern,. 82% of the owners are very satisfied. only complaints are about the price. speaking of the price, analysts predict pass $1,000 all share within the year. be itsn reason will tv.oducti

mike emanuel explainsswhyythere needs to be a major house cleaning at the general services administrationi is the latest destination in the investigation into avish spending at the general services administration or g-s-a. inspector general investigators were told by employees thht at leest five senior level officials went to hawaiiion the taxpayer dime for 5 to 7 days for a 1-hour ribbon cutting. next &pweek, congress will hold at least 3 hearrngs on the g-s-a mess - with one led by congressman jeff denham.denham says: "we certainly want to call in all of tte individuals who have already been fired or are on administrative leave. we lso want to have thh cfos that approved all these various expenses, everything frrm the lavish las vegas vacation to last year doing a trip to hawaii." problems at g-s-a came to light following the revelation of an $840,000 western regions conference in october 2010. and today it was revealed g-s-a employees created a fake awards ceeemony, so they could receive a meal paid for by the taxpayers. the white house press secretary offered president obama's reactio

. >> the general services administration embroiled in a spending scandal. themartha johnson, the head of the general services administration resigned yesterday. and two other high-ranking officials were fired. >> and 820 cows and dollar conference in las vegas featured a mind reader as well as a lavish reception. >> president obama sent a warning to the supreme court about striking down his health care reform law. >> the justices should understand that in absence of an individual mandate, you cannot have a mechanism to ensure that people with pre-existing conditions can actually get health care. >> the president said the justices would be overstepping their role if they overturn the law. he said he has confidence the supreme court will not take that step. this is after the high court heard three days of arguments on whether the law is unconstitutional. >> prince george's county lawmakers plan to propose an amendment to the states and the gambling bill today. the amendment would require a minimum investment of $800 million for the construction of a casino in

it's not often the general services administration makes headlines but they're certainly in the headlines now after what many folks, including members of congress, call the gsa's government waste. in fact, many of the gsa officials who are testifying before congress later today are either on leave or have resigned, like former administrator martha johnson. she was reportedly told 11 months ago by the inspector general of a lavish $823,000 las vegas conference in 2010 that awarded mock videos where employees destroyed government material and even bragged about their lavish lifestyles. >> our primary goal is to make sure this doesn't happen again. what often happens is an i.g. does their job, perhaps some people are held accountable but the culture doesn't change. >> this president ran saying he was going to make changes. the question is was he well served by his political appointees when they were ordered to go in and make these cultural changes. if they didn't make it, is it because they didn't listen to the president or because he didn't really mean it. >> reporter: it is no secret that

he did not face reporters, instead, the general services administration issued this video news release. >> those responsible violated rules of common sense. the spirit of public service and the trust that america's taxpayers placed in all of us. >> last week, the gsa's administrator resigned when an investigation revealed an $822,000 conference with $44 breakfast and 2400 square foot two story hotel room. a former d.c. leader appoint todd replace her said he lost an agency wide review. eight agency employees have been put on administrative leave over that scandal. >>> a potential breakthrough in a nasty and increasingly violent crime epidemic. the cell phone industry just announced today a new data base that would help turn your stolen smart phone into a brick. that's a worthless piece of junk. bruce leshan reports smart phone strong arms now account for more than 1/3 of all robberies in d.c. >> smart phones these days can run $600 or so. about the price of a pretty darn nice flat screen tv. but a heck of a lot easier to snatch and run off with. >> i'm livid. >> 89news now forecaster,

election year embarrassment for the white house and follows the revelations that the general services administration sponsored a junket to las vegas in 2010 that cost taxpayers close to a million dollars. both scandals play into the narrative of a bloated and dysfunctional federal government. is that fair? let's ask "wall street journal" columnist, dan henninger. james freeman and dorothy rabinowitz. >> incompetence in government is not knew new. so why does it trouble you? >> it is troubling, it's fascinating and it's not incompetence. it's an absolute loss of the mystique of many of the important things that were connected with governance, with the white house. everything that we used. space of the security detail. these guys with the backpacks that were the heroes. >> the sense they were the elite. >> they were the untouchables. the people that you might thought you want to be. suddenly they are not the buttoned-down guys. not just two people. floating around drinking absolute vodka with prostitutes and cheating the prostitutes of money. these are not minor matters. they are not richard gere in p

that is unless you work for the general services administration. a report out today found a gsa training conference in october 2010 at this ritzy resort in vegas which has its own casino and spa costs a staggering $823,000 taxpayer dollars or almost $2,750 per person for a four-day conference. >> that included $3,200 for a mind reader, more than $6,300 for commemorative coins, and $75,000 for a team building exercise to construct a bicycle. >> you put it also in the context of how the economy was doing, and it's just boggling the mind to think that anybody thought this was an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars. >> the report specifically criticized excessive, wasteful, and sometimes impermissible costs, including $44 per person breakfasts and a $95 per person reception and dinner. what makes it worse is the gsa is the agency that is supposed to make the government more efficient. it builds the buildings, buys the supplies with the goal of cutting costs. today, the head of the agency, martha johnson, resigned, saying gsa had made a significant miss

and followed that the general services administration followed a junket to las vegas in 2010 that cost taxpayers close to a million dollars. both scandals clinging to the narrative of a bloated and dysfunctional federal government. so, is that fair? >> let's ask the wall street journal columnist. and dorothy, let's start with the secret service, incompetence in government is not new. it's an old story, so, why does the secret service scandal trouble you? >> well, if it's troubling, it's fascinating and it's not incompetence, it's a loss of the mystique of many of the important things that were connected with governance itself. with the white house and everything that we used on the face of the security detail, e the, who were the heroes. >> they were in the-- sense they were an elite force. >> it was the untouchables, people you thought you might want to be, and suddenly they're not the buttoned down guy. a battalion's worth not just two people, floating around and drinking absolute vodka and cheating the prostitutes of minor, these are not minor matters, they're not richard gere, trea

and i thought what general services administration do? responsible for managing and supporting the government functioning of federal agencies and in part, to keep the costs down. my favorite was, they spent $130,000 on six planning trips to plan this. >> neil: and you know in college, there was somebody, an intern for the gsa, i had no idea what the heck i was doing, and furthermore, neither did my boss, neither did my boss, but it was essentially a procurement center for government service. >> i don't mean to laugh, but-- >> i mean to laugh because this is, i think that's part of the process here. >> i think there's a real serious point here, we have a president who is running on an agenda of class warfare. and some is deserved, some isn't. >> i don't think you limit it to wall street. >> i'm an equal opportunity beater-upper. >> neil: which is why everyone hates. >> and if you're going to base your entire campaign on that and allow in your government, this sort of nonsense, that undercuts and shows the inherent hipocracy of at least two

a carpenter for the general services administration was helping to prepare the building for demolition when he discovered this office signed in the attic. american history tv visited the building to learn about the missing soldier's office and to hear the story of richard lyons, who worked alone for months to save the building from demolition. >> this is the original staircase that was never renovated or changed much as all. just a few repairs done it. when you walk up the staircase and put your hand on the banister, you're walking in clara barton's footsteps. she did this for about eight years during the civil war era and just after when she operated a missing soldier's office in space. and eventually she ended up leaving because her health became so poor and she was so exhausted from the work she had done during the war that she couldn't find these sets of stairs anymore. she moved out late in december of 186. that's pretty much when she closed down her operations here in washington. clara had five of these produced during the war. sent out almost 100,000 kpop pis. we only know of a

i work for the general service administration as a carpenter. in 1996 they sent us out to the buildings that we acquired from the pennsylvania avenue development corporation to clean them up, make sure nobody was living in them. it was the day before thanksgiving in '96. i made my way up the steps. i got up here. just nothing in here. no lights. no nothing. only a little bit of light coming through the windows. i came over here and looked around. and nothing was here. so i happened to witness -- you don't usually witness one. but i witnessed an accident out here in the intersection. someone ran a red light and bumped fenders and i'm standing here watching to see what happens. from out of nowhere, don't know what it was but it felt like somebody tapped me on the shoulder. i thought it was a co-worker. i turned around and wasn't nobody there. so when i turned back around to look out the window i turned around like this and the corner of my eye i seen an envelope hanging between the ceiling and the wall. these boards were laid out like a floor up t

. >> the lavish las vegas conference organized by the federal government's general service its administration, the general services administration is the government's landlord and procurement manager. it is supposed to set the standard for efficiency and cost-cutting. >> jon: irony. the people holding the conference that wasted a ton of government money are the people in charge of making sure the government doesn't waste a ton of money. like the center for disease control holding a conference in andy dickey jacuzzi. (laughter) it's like the justice department selling guns to mexican drug dealers. what? they-- they did? you've got to be kidding me! oh, it gets better. even better than the scandal of spending $800,000 on a conference, even better than spending $800,000 on a conference when are you in charge of preventing overspending is this. >> they got $80,000 spent just on area books for the conference participants. they got momentos. >> jon: yearbooks! they got yearbook, the people in government known for efficiency and cost-cutting made sure they would have physical evidence of the boondog

> election year bipartisan outrage over wasteful government spending bore down on the general services administration today in the wake of revelations it spent huge sums of money on meetings, incentive gifts and bonuses, but a key figure in the first hearing was listening not saying much. mike emanuel has that story. >> reporter: it was the first of four hearings this week on what many called outrageous spending at the general services administration or gsa and the executive believed to be at the center of the more than $820,000 las vegas conference in october, 2010 replied to chairman darrell issa's five questions the same way. >> mr. chairman, on the advice of counsel i respectfully decline to answer based upon my fifth amendment constitutional privilege. >> reporter: jeff neeley is on his leave from his job. he quickly left capitol hill after the hearing. the western regions conference included a clown, a mind reader and has received tremendous attention with much of it captured on camera. neeley's wife's photos reveal the lavishly good time they had in las vegas. a leading democrat called the sit

for more of the inside story, visit shinglesinfo.com >> pelley: the geese say-- general services administration is known as the government's landlord. it operates all federal buildings. today the current and former officials of the g.s.a. were on capitol hill to explain lavish spending, including more than $800,000 on a training conference. nancy cordes was there. >> reporter: the man who planned the extravagant conference chose not to answer questions today: san francisco-based regional commissioner jeff neely is on paid administrative leave from the g.s.a.. >> did you approve the funding? >> i respectfully decline to answer based on my 5th amendment constitutional privilege. >> reporter: neely was far more forthcoming at the las vegas conversation in 2010? >> i think i pretty much promised to deliver an over, unforgettable team-building experience. how'd we do on that one? (cheers and applause) >> reporter: the over-the-top experience involved a clown, a mind reader, and lavish afterhours parties. >> spent $75,000 on a bike-building exercise. >> reporter: the jooes say's inspector general det

. >> bill: the scandal surrounding the general services administration getting much bigger. this man jeffrey neeley may have taken 131 trips on the taxpayer dime. should he take a trip to prison? we'll have a special report. >> we had urged the "l.a. times" not to run those photos. >> bill: but the "l.a. times" did run grizzly photos of u.s. military people pofsing with dismembered bodies of the enemy. did the l.a. paper put nato lives in jeopardy by doing so? laura ingraham has some thoughts. >> by 6:00 the next morning, we knew that there was three. and we were one of them. >> bill: and an elderly couple from illinois wins $158 million after taxes. talking about hitting the lottery. [ applause ] >> bill: also tonight dennis miller on the secret service scandal and the death of dick clark. caution, you are about to enter the no spin zone. the factor begins right now. captions by closed captioning services >> bill: hi, i'm bill o'reilly. thanks for watching us tonight. another reason why no americans should pay any more taxes. that is the subject of this evening's talking po

dune, now, your title as chief financial officer of the general services administration. the cfo for region nine apparently did speak up about the excessive spending. did any of his concerns or -- i don't know if it's a he or a she, reach your office? >> no, they did not. >> well, how could you be called the cfo of the gsa. i don't understand what your function is. >> the regional cfos in the public fwilding services report up through the regional commissioners of the service and do not report to the agency chief financial officer. >> so you never know anything about the financial matters in the regions? who does know then? >> the public buildings service has a central budget and financial management division in their headquarters office, and that is the office that allocates the funds out to the various regions. >> you can see the difficulty i'm having with an agency, which is whose hierarchy, whose structure is very difficult to understand. do you think that that's -- do you believe that you were the cfo for the entire agency? what were you the cfo of? >> i believe i wa