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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowVice President Mike Pence's attendance at an NFL game that he quickly left after a national anthem protest cost Indianapolis about $14,000 in police overtime and other costs.
The figures were released Tuesday by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
The left-leaning policy group sought details about expenses surrounding Pence's Oct. 8 trip. It found that the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's costs included nearly $11,500 in overtime for tactical and traffic officers.
The group said Pence inappropriately used taxpayer money for a political stunt.
The former Indiana governor left the Indianapolis Colts game when about a dozen San Francisco 49ers players took a knee during the anthem. Pence later tweeted he wouldn't dignify an event that disrespected the flag.
According to Pence representatives, the former Indiana governor attended the game to honor former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning because Manning's jersey was being retired that day at halftime. Pence was scheduled to leave the game early to attend a fundraiser in Los Angeles, but not before halftime. He did meet with Manning prior to the game.
The group that compiled the study did not say how much larger the overtime bill would have been if Pence had stayed as long as originally planned.
A Pence spokeswoman didn't immediately reply to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
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