American taxpayers will be paying the vast majority of the bill for First Lady Jill Biden’s extensive flights between France and Delaware to attend the criminal trial of her stepson Hunter.
“Doctor” Biden has been using Air Force One and Air Force Two to fly to Deleware for the court hearings amid her official duties in France.
The frequent traveling back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean on private jets has cost hundreds of thousands of dollars so far.
The Democratic Party announced that is planning to reimburse for the first lady’s extensive transatlantic travel to attend Hunter Biden’s trial.
However, the party is only willing to reimburse for the cost of a first-class ticket, and not the expense of a government jet.
In a statement, the first lady’s office reportedly told the Daily Mail:
“In accordance with relevant regulations utilized across administrations, the government is reimbursed the value of a first-class fare for these flights to Wilmington and back to Paris.”
The Democratic National Committee will provide the funds to partially reimburse for the first lady’s flights, the Daily Mail reported.
Reimbursement rates for travel aboard White House planes are determined by Pentagon cost estimates.
However, the majority of costs will fall on taxpayers.
It’s unclear how much the cost of a first-class flight will be valued at by the Pentagon but it will fall far short of the cost of a using a government jet for personal travel.
The modified Boeing 747s that serve as the iconic Air Force One cost about $200,000 per hour to fly.
Air Force Two, which is often used by first ladies, can cost tens of thousands of dollars per hour.
The Democratic Party has asserted it will partially reimburse the White House for Jill Biden’s travel to and from the trial.
However, the remaining costs of flying the jets, along with the expenses of staffing and security, will fall to the taxpayers.
According to the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, the cost of the one-way trip from the airport in Paris to the airport in Wilmington, Delaware, is about $111,500.
This calculation is based on an eight-hour flight and the Air Force’s hourly reimbursement rate charged to other federal agencies for the use of a Boeing C-32 (the type of plane Jill Biden usually flies in, for security reasons).
Jill Biden made a round trip from Paris to Wilmington for an estimated $223,000.
The cost of a first-class ticket from Paris to Wilmington is $6,655, per a search on Google flights.
This would suggest the DNC will pay $13,310 instead of the full $223,000.
That leaves an outstanding balance of around $209,690 to be paid for out of taxpayer funds.
Jill Biden spent nearly 24 hours flying between France and Delaware last week alone.
She appeared at D-Day events in Normandy, France before jetting back to America to attend courtroom proceedings for Hunter Biden.
On Tuesday, Hunter Biden was convicted on all counts following his trial on federal gun charges.
The president’s son is accused in his federal trial of lying about his drug addiction on a form he filled out to get a gun.
He is also charged with illegally possessing a gun.
Hunter was convicted on all counts after pleading not guilty.
He now faces up to 25 years in prison plus large fines.
READ MORE – San Francisco Opens Taxpayer-Funded ‘Free’ Grocery Store
