What Kept Air Force One Waiting for 22 Mins?
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Pete Souza / The White House(WASHINGTON) — A funny thing happened to President Obama on the way to Pittsburgh on Wednesday — some guy made him wait 22 minutes in Air Force One on a freezing tarmac.
That guy was Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who was hitching a ride on the president’s plane. Casey was seen sprinting across the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews more than 22 minutes after President Obama boarded for his short flight to Pennsylvania.
A spokeswoman for Casey said the senator was checking on the status of “some important votes” and then hit a snag.
“Senator Casey had to double check on the timing of some important votes this afternoon so was delayed slightly and then hit some traffic,” April Mellody, a spokeswoman for Casey, said in an e-mail to ABC News.
“He very much wanted to have a chance to join the President on his trip to PA because he believes nothing is more important than creating economic opportunity for Pennsylvanians, ensuring working families can make a decent wage and allowing people the chance to save for a secure retirement,” she added.
Obama — and his tardy traveling companion — are heading to an event at the United States Steel Corporation’s Irvin Plant in West Mifflin, Pa., where the president is scheduled to speak about one of the priorities he outlined in Tuesday night’s State of the Union address: His executive action to help Americans save for retirement.
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