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Panetta says he regrets cost of trips home - Mercury News
Panetta said he'd try to find some savings, with each round trip costing approximately $32,000.... Based on fuel and other operating expenses for his Air Force plane, the 27 trips have cost the government as much as $860,000.
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White House denies ‘deal’ on Panetta’s commute - Susan Crabtree/The Washington Times
Contradicting an account by a Pentagon official, the White House is denying that President Obama struck a “deal” with Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta to allow him to commute home to California most weekends on a military aircraft at a cost of $32,000 per round-trip flight and a total of $860,000 as of early April....
Amid outcry over wasteful spending at a General Services Administration conference that cost top officials their jobs, Mr. Panetta earlier this month admitted to paying just $17,000 for his share of the cost of the 27 round trips, approximately $630 per visit.