Congressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election
The draft trip included Ferrari, Barilla and OECD stops, and Johnson’s office said it was canceled after NBC News asked about the itinerary.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson's office canceled a planned European delegation trip for senior aide Curt Beaulieu after an NBC News inquiry Wednesday regarding the draft itinerary. The trip was scheduled for two weeks before the vote.
- The draft itinerary included stops at a Ferrari factory near Bologna, a Barilla facility in Parma, and luxury brand companies in Milan or Florence, followed by excursions to the Champagne region and a meeting at the OECD.
- A planning memo described the outing as a trade policy fact-finding mission. The office said, "Senior congressional staff of both parties routinely lead staff delegations" to strengthen working relationships between countries and key industries.
- Planned two weeks before the vote, the trip coincided with a period when affordability and President Donald Trump's tariffs were central issues. Trump threatened a 100 percent tariff on French wine and Champagne unless France scrapped its tax on American tech firms.
- An unspecified conflict prompted the cancellation, according to Johnson's office, which did not address funding sources. The email listing the draft itinerary included no outside sponsor, and staff schedules often shift right up until departure.
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A top aide to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had planned a weeklong European trip packed with luxury stops, until reporters started asking questions.Curt Beaulieu, a senior policy and tax adviser to the speaker, had been authorized to lead a staff delegation to Italy and France in late October, NBC News reported Wednesday, citing a draft itinerary emailed to U.S. Embassy personnel in Rome and Paris. Johnson's office told the outlet the trip h…
Congressional Staff Planned Official Trip with Luxury Stops
NBC News: “A Ferrari factory outside of Bologna, Italy. Luxury brand companies in ‘Milan or Florence.’ Day trips to the Champagne region of France.” “These are just a few stops on a draft itinerary for an official trip a top aide for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and other congressional staffers planned to take two […]
Congressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election
The weeklong staff trip, including stops at a Ferrari factory and Champagne, was to be led by an aide to House Speaker Mike Johnson and was canceled after NBC News asked about the itinerary.
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