Accused Of Using Plane To Stump For President

US Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt (right) is the latest government official to raise eyebrows in Congress over his use of a government airplane.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Leavitt, the former Republican governor of Utah, used the leased aircraft to promote the new Medicare "Part D" drug plan... and not for its intended role of helping scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to respond to emergencies.

The paper claims those trips on the have cost more than $700,000 since January... and, at least two occurred when agency scientists might have used the plane for emergencies.

Leavitt was grilled about the flights Wednesday before the House Ways and Means Committee... and while he maintained there's "nothing political" about the flights, he faced accusations from two Democrat representatives, Democrats Pete Stark of California and John Lewis of Georgia, who claimed Leavitt used the plane to stump for the Bush administration policies.

"It's bad enough you had buses. It is disgraceful," said Lewis. "It is a waste of resources."

Leavitt told the committee the flights were justified, as some of his travel on the CDC plane was related to US preparations for the threat of a global pandemic of avian influenza.

Florida Republican Clay Shaw defended Leavitt's use of the plane.

"I think it's a good thing and I encourage you to keep it up," he told Leavitt, adding it was "hypocritical" for members of Congress to criticize his use of government aircraft when lawmakers use them to visit other nations.

FMI: www.hhs.gov