In late March of this year, President Obama stayed in Brussels, Belgium for about 24 hours on a weeklong trip through Europe. Lodging at The Hotel in Brussels cost $1.5 million, as we reported in April, including rooms for the president and his entourage, as well as for the advance team in the weeks preceding the visit.
Less than two and a half months later, President Obama returned to Brussels again for about 24 hours for a G-7 meeting in early June, once again stayed at The Hotel, and again incurred a cost of $1.5 million. This time, the documents cited a need for “399 Lodging Rooms, office rooms, and conference rooms from 5/22/2014 – 6/6/2014”:
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For the same trip, a contract for over $1 million for rental vehicles was posted as well. The contract covered an “[e]stimated 141 Rental Vehicles from 5/20/2014 – 6/7/2014.”
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The rental vehicles are in addition to the vehicles that accompany the president on all his trips, including The Beast, the president’s armored limousine.
