Inspector General: $16 Muffins Didn't Exist...That Included Juice

By Mackenzie Weinger, Politico

There will be no more huffin' and puffin' about that $16 muffin.

On Friday, the Justice Department inspector general apologized for claiming in a recent report that taxpayers had paid $16 per muffin at a recent department conference. The IG admitted now that such muffins never existed.

In September, an IG audit said the department shelled out $490,000 at 10 events alone from Oct. 2007 to Sept. 2009 — and spent a chunk of cash on the infamous $16 muffins.

Originally, the IG had concluded that the department had spent $4,200 for 250 muffins. In the revised report, the IG states the $16 figure was for more than just a muffin. Instead of a mere muffin, the $16 bought “a modified continental breakfast, which consisted of items such as pastries, fruit, coffee, tea and juice.” The revised report does not break down the individual muffin price.