The Secret Service is going broke trying to protect Trump and his family, and keep up with their extravagant lifestyle.

Courtesy of USA Today: 

The Secret Service can no longer pay hundreds of agents it needs to carry out an expanded protective mission – in large part due to the sheer size of President Trump's family and efforts necessary to secure their multiple residences up and down the East Coast. 

Secret Service Director Randolph "Tex'' Alles, in an interview with USA TODAY, said more than 1,000 agents have already hit the federally mandated caps for salary and overtime allowances that were meant to last the entire year. 

The agency has faced a crushing workload since the height of the contentious election season, and it has not relented in the first seven months of the administration. Agents must protect Trump – who has traveled almost every weekend to his properties in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia – and his adult children whose business trips and vacations have taken them across the country and overseas. 

"The president has a large family, and our responsibility is required in law,'' Alles said. "I can't change that. I have no flexibility.'' 

Alles said the service is grappling with an unprecedented number of White House protectees. Under Trump, 42 people have protection, a number that includes 18 members of his family. That's up from 31 during the Obama administration. 

It is not just the large number of Trump family members and associates that is draining resources, it is also the number of locations the Secret Service is expected to cover and the amount of traveling they are required to do.

In response a number of agents are leaving the agency.

And that situation does not appear to be changing anytime soon:

The compensation crunch is so serious that the director has begun discussions with key lawmakers to raise the combined salary and overtime cap for agents, from $160,000 per year to $187,000 for at least the duration of Trump's first term. 

But even if such a proposal was approved, about 130 veteran agents would not be fully compensated for hundreds of hours already amassed, according to the agency. 

"I don't see this changing in the near term,'' Alles said. 

So not only do you have to protect Cheeto Hitler, but you may have to do it on your own time without any hope of compensation. 

I don't know why anybody should be surprised. After all this is EXACTLY how Trump treated contractors that worked for him in the past.

SarahPAC receives notification from FEC about missing money from the NRA. Uh oh!

"What? We got a letter?"

Courtesy of the FEC:

Dear Treasurer: 

Response Due Date 12/12/2013 This letter is prompted by the Commission's preliminary review of the report referenced above. This notice requests information essential to full public disclosure of your federal election campaign finances. Failure to adequately respond by the response date noted above could result in an audit or enforcement action. Additional information is needed for the following 1 item(s):

 - Schedule A supporting Line 15 of your report discloses an offset to an operating expenditure(s) totaling $11,169.86 from "National Rifle Association"; however, your report(s) does not appear to disclose a disbursement to this entity. Please provide clarifying information regarding this activity and amend your report(s) if necessary. (11 CFR § 104.3(a) & (b)) 

Please note, you will not receive an additional notice from the Commission on this matter. Adequate responses must be received by the Commission on or before the due date noted above to be taken into consideration in determining whether audit action will be initiated. Failure to comply with the provisions of the Act may also result in an enforcement action against the committee. Any response submitted by your committee will be placed on the public record and will be considered by the Commission prior to taking enforcement action. Requests for extensions of time in which to respond will not be considered.

What the FEC is referring to appears to be a refund for travel expenses claimed by SarahPAC from the NRA, which can be found here.  I have to imagine that this is connected to Palin's speech at the NRA convention on May 3rd, which would indicate that at least some of her travel expenses were paid for by the NRA.

Now I am not an expert on PAC's but is that legal? It must not be since the FEC is asking for information as to when SarahPAC directly sent $11,169.86 to the NRA itself.

The FEC must know about the speech, and be able to put two and two together, so it is highly doubtful they have not figured out the connection.

Things that make you go "Hmmm."

This could a very big deal and if the treasurer Timothy Crawford cannot come up with a reasonable explanation this may be the end of Sarah Palin's free ride on the backs of the dumbest people on the planet.