Cheney: Unaccountability fuels speculation about corruption

The Washington Post reports that, despite the legal requirement to do so, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) does not report who pays for the Vice President's trips to outside speaking engagements (such as at think tanks). As the Center for Public Integrity notes, "It appears that [Cheney's] office labels [the trips] 'official travel. As a result...the public is kept largely unaware of where he and his staff are traveling, with whom they are meeting, and how much it costs, even though tax dollars are covering the bill". That is, by claiming his speaking engagements as 'official business', he does not have to disclose anything about them, although the taxpayer picks up the tab. While the OVP may not be doing anything wrong, the excessive secrecy, about this and the energy task force meetings among other things, creates the appearance of improper activity.