Democrats Fly on Chartered Jet to Puerto Rico During Govt Shutdown, Hit the Beach

About 30 Democratic Lawmakers and their families took a chartered jet to Puerto Rico over the weekend to attend the Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC, where they met with lobbyists and received a “special performance” of the Broadway show, “Hamilton.”

The event took place at a oceanfront resort where rooms cost about $429 a night, according to Fox News. Those in attendance did pay for their “Hamilton” tickets themselves.

Fox News reports:

Around 109 lobbyists and corporate executives are named in a memo welcoming the guests, which include some from prominent Washington firms, R.J. Reynolds, Facebook, Comcast, Amazon, PhRMA, Microsoft, Intel, Verizon, and unions like the National Education Association.

A spokesman for the BOLD PAC — part of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus — would not tell the Examiner which members of Congress would be attending. But U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., was spotted on the beach Saturday, according to a FOX News producer.

…The chartered jet that carried the attendees also brought 250 pounds of donated medical supplies. The trip is the largest congressional delegation to the island since it was devastated by the September 2017 hurricane.

Spotted: Sen. Bob Menendez on the beach at a resort in Puerto Rico on Day 22 of the partial government shutdown. Reports say dozens of Dems are in PR for the CHC BOLD PAC winter retreat — including meetings on Maria cleanup, and a party with PR’s “Hamilton” cast. pic.twitter.com/6FaBYKPo4L

— David McAlpine (@DavidMcAlpine) January 12, 2019

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders slammed Democrats yesterday in a tweet, writing, “Democrats in Congress are so alarmed about federal workers not getting paid they’re partying on the beach instead of negotiating a compromise to reopen the government and secure the border.”

Democrats in Congress are so alarmed about federal workers not getting paid they’re partying on the beach instead of negotiating a compromise to reopen the government and secure the borderhttps://t.co/zpJypJ2Slq

— Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) January 13, 2019