Michelle's Fabulous African Adventure Costing Taxpayers Over $500,000

If it keeps her from attacking our food, it is money well spent.

(WHD) — First Lady Michelle Obama’s trip to South Africa and Botswana last week cost taxpayers well over half a million dollars, possibly in the range of $700,000 or $800,000, according to an analysis by White House Dossier.

Many of the trip’s expenses cannot be obtained with specificity, including the cost of local transportation for the first lady, Secret Service protection, the care and feeding of staffers, and pre-trip advance work done by administration officials in South Africa.
But it is possible to estimate some of these costs and put a price tag on one of the major expenses — her transportation to and from southern Africa and her trips between cities there.