Video: GSA chief resigns

>> we're following a still unfolding story out of washington tonight that will spark outrage among taxpayers and has already today cost several people their jobs. some are already labeling this a fleecing of america. the gsa, the jerbl services administration, set up by president truman , the washington post found out that the gsa spent just under a million dollars of taxpayer money on a conference just outside las vegas featuring a kind of are you sitting down list of attractions, including a clown and a mind reader. the head of the gsa and some deputies are out as of today. the white house is angry, and tonight, our senior investigative correspondent, lisa myers , has a look at what else you paid for.

>> as the commercials say, what's happens in vegas stays in vegas . that is nlsh you work for the general services administration . a report oud toot found a gsa training conference in october 2010 at this ritzy resort in vegas which has its own casino and smau costed a staggering $823,000 or almost $2,750 per person for a four-day conference. that included $32,200 for a mind reader, more than $6,300 for commemorative coins and $75,000 for a team building exercise to construct a bicycle.

>> you put it also in the context of how the economy was doing, and it's just boggling the mind to think that anybody thought this was an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars.

>> the report specifically criticized excessive, wasteful, and sometimes impermissible costs, including $44 per person prec fsts and a $95 per person reception and dinner. what makes it worse is the gsa is the agency that is supposed to make the government more efish ntd. it builds the buildings, buys the supplies with the goal of cutting costs. martha johnson resigned saying gsa had made a significant misstep and taxpayer dollars were squandered. her two deputies were forced out. the white house moved quickly to try to contain any political damage, saying in a statement that president obama was outraged by a gross misuse of taxpayer dollars and decisive action had been taken. the white house said it directed all agencies to review conference spending last year. that was almost a year after this conference was held. this kind of news is not helpful to a president already under fire for excessive spending. brian?

>> lisa myers in our washington

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