Taxpayers have been picking up the tab for Sharpton to fly first-class and stay in five-star hotel suites while he travels the country speaking at public colleges and universities.
Via NRO:
When he speaks at public colleges and universities, Al Sharpton flies first-class, stays in upscale hotels, travels to events in a chauffeured vehicle, and often brings a bodyguard or aide with him. He makes these demands on taxpayer-funded institutions, despite owing as much as $4.5 million in unpaid taxes and penalties.
“In terms of travel, Rev. Sharpton travels first class on flights and will require a large black SUV for transportation and, if the trip requires lodging, he will require a suite in a four/five star hotel,” wrote Sharpton’s assistant, Abyssinia Tirfe, in an August 14, 2014, e-mail to Michigan State University (MSU) obtained by National Review. “Also, Rev. Sharpton travels with [an] aide who will require [an] economy ticket and a standard hotel room (if needed).”
The records show MSU assented to these requirements and began arranging them, even e-mailing a travel agent to book a $1,469.70 first-class flight and reserving a suite. But an MSU spokesman says Sharpton ultimately covered his own travel for this particular trip. It’s unclear why.
A few weeks earlier, Ohio State University (OSU) and Columbus State Community College (CSCC) had together provided Sharpton with first-class airfare from New York City to Columbus, which cost $1,552.20. They also paid for a coach flight and hotel room for Sharpton’s bodyguard. A sport-utility vehicle and chauffeur cost an additional $253.80. Between lodging and room service, Sharpton also ran up a $358.50 bill for a one-night stay at the Westin Hotel in Columbus.
Such VIP accommodations aren’t typical for speakers on campus. OSU “had to put in special requests for the Black SUV, first-class ticket and a suite for Rev. Sharpton (oppose[d] to a room),” wrote Larry Williamson Jr., director of OSU’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, in an e-mail to Sharpton’s assistant. “These are 3 exceptions that are not standard university requests.”