A clown, a comedian and a mind reader get invites to a Fed Guv conference in Las Vegas

And a GSA administrator and two deputies end up losing their jobs

From Eric Dondero:

It must be an election year. President Obama is sounding downright fiscally conservative in his acceptance of a resignation letter from Government Services Administrator Martha Johnson.

The Washington Post first uncovered the story. Business Insider reports, "Obama Official Resigns Over Taxpayer-Funded Clown And Mindreader":

According to the Post, the report found that the GSA used $835,000 in taxpayer funds to host a 2010 training conference for 300 employees at a luxury hotel in Vegas. Expenses included $147,000 on airfare and lodging for conference organizers; $3,200 for a mind reader; $6,300 for commemorative coin sets; $75,000 on a training exercise to build a bicycle. The Post does not specify how much money was spent on the clown and the comedian.

In her resignation letter Johnson acknowledged a "significant misstep."

Even the Obama-backing Post acknowledges:

The episode is an embarrassment for the Obama administration at a time when the role and size of government have taken center stage in the presidential campaign...

They report on the President's reaction:

Chief of Staff Jacob J. Lew briefed President Obama before last week’s trip to South Korea.

Obama “was outraged by the excessive spending, questionable dealings with contractors, and disregard for taxpayer dollars,” Lew said in a statement to The Washington Post.

Editor's comment - Of course, it might prove especially difficult to read the president's mind on the matter, to determine his sincerity.

Photos of Johnson, and fired GSA Deputy Stephen Leeds, and some other clowns - upper left. Clown recruits for the Fed Government from Frugal Cafe.