The president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce stepped down abruptly on Wednesday after he learned that the Wall Street Journal was about to publish details of his using a private jet for business and personal flights, including one trip with his girlfriend to Greece.
Thomas Donohue, who has said he will remain as the Chamber’s CEO until 2022, flew 17,000 nautical miles on a Gulfstream G650 last month, it’s estimated the trip cost somewhere between $615,000 and $850,000.
He also flew to Florida, Colorado, Bermuda, and more, each trip costing between $40,000 and $70,000. He earns $6.6 million a year.
The Chamber said it received a volume discount and negotiated flight rates, but aside from a few personal flights Donohue pays for himself, the Chamber covers the full cost, and Donohue simply paid the income tax. If he ever reimbursed the Chamber, it was at a heavily discounted fare.
“The expenses are reasonable use of our membership’s funds and are critical to the continued effectiveness of the Chamber,” Mike Ducker, chairman of the Chamber’s compensation committee, said in a statement.
Donohue is one of the only members among major Washington trade associations to even use a corporate jet — the only other organization recently was the National Business Aviation Association, and that was only when there’s “no commercial airline service to a destination or commercial airline service does not meet the time commitments” of the trip.
