[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
[May 26, 1993]
[Page 741]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Exchange With Reporters During a Luncheon With Business Leaders
May 26, 1993

White House Travel Office

    Q. [Inaudible]--members of your staff in the Travel Office scandal? 
Is part of this inquiry going to consider--going to be a chance of 
shakeups because of the event?
    The President. Well, I would like it on the record that one of the 
things they did was to figure out how to save--how to do the same work 
with less than half as many people and save you 25 percent on your first 
flight. I keep hoping I'll read that somewhere in these accounts. I 
think that ought to be accounted for. I was--the press complained to me 
repeatedly about being gouged by the White House Travel Office. I kept 
hearing it everywhere. So we put it out on a competitive bid and saved 
you 25 percent.
    Now, if it wasn't handled right, we'll get to the bottom of it, and 
we'll straighten that out, and it will be handled right. That's what Mr. 
McLarty worked on yesterday. And we will do what is appropriate, follow 
the ``do-right rule,'' and go forward. I don't have anything else to say 
about it.

Ross Perot

    Q. Mr. President, as you meet with these CEO's, your--I put this in 
quotes--one of your ``favorite business guys,'' Mr. Perot, has been 
sniping at you again. He told David Frost that you don't have the 
background or the experience for the most difficult job in the world. 
How do you deal with this kind of talk from him?
    The President. You deal with it. [Laughter]
    Q. He said you were doing things the Arkansas way.
    The President. Well, we know he doesn't like my State. But he spent 
several million dollars to bad-mouth it last--and it doesn't have much 
to do with America. We're going to just keep working.

Note: The exchange began at 12:25 p.m. in the Old Family Dining Room at 
the White House. A tape was not available for verification of the 
content of this exchange.