Brand USA found to have wasted even more money

Brand USA found to have wasted even more money | Washington Free Beacon
The Daily Caller first reported Thursday on new expense reports and business audits that paint a picture of Brand USA as a rudderless organization with a penchant for spending:

Some of the new organization’s recent expenses include $4,139 for 250 holiday cards, $3,592 for a holiday e-card and $2,449 for a ringtone version of the Rosanne Cash song “Land of Dreams,” which was created specifically for a sweeping Brand USA promotional campaign.
Also among the expenditures, according to the documents, are $2,700 for 26 sets of business cards and $50,252 for giveaway materials at the International Pow Wow trade show, which was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center earlier this year.
The agency spent nearly $35,000 on Chinese-made water bottles for the event.
And Brand USA spent close to $1 million on its posh launch party in London last year, including $69,300 on freebies for attendees.
Almost $50,000 went to neck wallets, and the organization dished out a grand total of $13,101 for umbrellas.
Brand USA has also paid out approximately $1 million in severance pay to eight terminated employees, the documents show.
Brand USA, formerly known as the Corporation for Travel Promotion, is a public-private partnership established by Congress to promote the United States abroad.
It receives $1 in federal funding for every $2 in private contributions from corporations.