Pence visit to Indianapolis Colts game cost taxpayers more than $300G, report says

close

Video

Pence warns of election interference from China

Vice President Mike Pence reportedly cost taxpayers more than $300,000 when he walked out of an Indianapolis Colts game last year in protest of NFL players kneeling during the national anthem.

Pence visited the Colts game against the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 8, 2017, and left when 49ers players kneeled during 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'

“I left today's Colts game because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem,” Pence tweeted at the time.

The estimated cost of Pence’s trip to Lucas Oil Stadium was about $325,000, the Huffington Post reported Sunday, citing heavily redacted Homeland Security documents. The numbers included hotel, travel and additional security, according to the website.

Hotel rooms for Pence’s team cost $64,637.68, according to the Huffington Post. The cost of Air Force 2 is about $43,000 per hour, according to The Washington Post. The cost for the jet’s use was estimated to be at around $250,000.

A document titled “LRC Air/Rail Detail Report by Project Code” had an amount of $8,877.91 for a period between Oct. 7 and Oct. 9, according to the Huffington Post. Temporary walkways used in downtown Indianapolis reportedly cost about $2,368.

Additionally, the Indy Star reported that the Indianapolis police spent more than $14,000 for the visit. Police spent $2,736 in regular pay for 80 hours and about $11,428 in overtime for 223 hours for the officers.

Pence did not immediately comment on the report.