http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/02/17/1486570/-Who-paid-for-Antonin-Scalia-s-vacation-to-the-luxury-resort-in-Texas?detail=email
On the heels of the news of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, details have emerged about where he was staying when he passed away. He was vacationing at the Cibolo Creek Ranch, a luxury resort offering “a true West Texas experience.” Guests enjoy trail rides via horse, ATV or Humvee around the massive 30,000 acre property.
According to the New York Times, Justice Scalia was an invited guest at the resort and it was Poindexter himself who discovered Scalia’s death:
Justice Scalia had arrived at the 30,000-acre ranch on Friday to participate in one of the weekend gatherings that Mr. Poindexter, who has owned the Cibolo Creek property since 1990 and restored its three historic forts into a secluded retreat, hosts a few times each year. Justice Scalia and Mr. Poindexter had met just once, in Washington, and the justice had traveled to Texas after a friend of Mr. Poindexter’s suggested inviting him, the ranch owner said.
As in invited guest, Scalia was not charged for his stay at the luxury resort. The Washington Post notes that Scalia’s stay at the resort brings up several important questions, especially in light of the fact that Poindexter recently had business with the Supreme Court.
One of Poindexter’s companies was involved in a case that made it to the high court. Last year, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case involving an age discrimination lawsuit filed against one of these companies, court records show.
The nature of Poindexter’s relationship with Scalia remained unclear Tuesday, one of several lingering questions about his visit. It was not known whether Scalia had paid for his own ticket to fly to the ranch or if someone else picked up the tab, just as it was not immediately clear if Scalia had visited before.
It is also still not known who else was at the Texas ranch for the weekend, and unless that is revealed, there could be concerns about who could have tried to raise an issue around Scalia, said Stephen Gillers, who teaches legal and judicial ethics at the New York University School of Law. He compared it to unease that arises when judges and officials from major companies are invited to seminars or educational events that bring them together for periods of time.
Yes, there are several troubling questions now that need to be answered. Although Poindexter admitted to The Washington Post that Scalia was part of an invited group of people and it was standard policy not to charge invited guests, he did confirm that he did not pay for the charter flight that Scalia took to West Texas. So, if he didn’t pay for the charter flight—who did? Supreme Court justices receive a salary of $223,500, hardly enough to pay for charter flights to secluded luxury resorts.
So who was Scalia traveling with? Who were the other invited guests? Who paid for the charter flight? The public really does deserve to know.
dun dun dun dun and the plot thickens, why were initial reports saying in detail that he was in a resort and died with possibly his family was involved, wonder who will do the movie or miniseries on this one???????????????????????????????
and the plot thickens even more
