Exclusive: Sen Claire McCaskill (D-MO) billed, repaid taxpayers for political flights
(By Ben Smith, POLITICO.com) - Senator Claire McCaskill's spokeswoman this evening confirmed that the Missouri Senator billed taxpayers for a purely political travel on a private plane co-owned by her family, a violation of Congressional ethics rules that deepens questions around her use of the plane.
POLITICO's John Bresnahan and Scott Wong reported yesterday that McCaskill billed taxpayers for almost $76,000 for official travel on the twin-engine Piper aircraft, which she co-owns with her husband and other investors. Lawmakers routinely accept reimbursement from the government for their travel, but after the revelation that she used official public dollars to partially subsidize a private aircraft, McCaskill refunded taxpayers -- citing appearances, not any violation of ethics rules.
A cursory examination of the 89 flights for which McCaskill reimbursed the Treasury this week revealed the purely political round trip. On Saturday, March 3, 2007 she flew from St. Louis to Hannibal, MO, and back, for the local Democratic Party's annual Hannibal Days. Her speech at the event, a recollection of the dying former Senator Tom Eagleton, was reported in the local press. And she billed taxpayers $1,220.44 for the travel, according to the public records examined by POLITICO.
McCaskill spokeswoman Maria Speiser conceded that the bill was inappropriate, and had no immediate explanation for how it had come to be submitted as an official expense.
POLITICO's John Bresnahan and Scott Wong reported yesterday that McCaskill billed taxpayers for almost $76,000 for official travel on the twin-engine Piper aircraft, which she co-owns with her husband and other investors. Lawmakers routinely accept reimbursement from the government for their travel, but after the revelation that she used official public dollars to partially subsidize a private aircraft, McCaskill refunded taxpayers -- citing appearances, not any violation of ethics rules.
A cursory examination of the 89 flights for which McCaskill reimbursed the Treasury this week revealed the purely political round trip. On Saturday, March 3, 2007 she flew from St. Louis to Hannibal, MO, and back, for the local Democratic Party's annual Hannibal Days. Her speech at the event, a recollection of the dying former Senator Tom Eagleton, was reported in the local press. And she billed taxpayers $1,220.44 for the travel, according to the public records examined by POLITICO.
McCaskill spokeswoman Maria Speiser conceded that the bill was inappropriate, and had no immediate explanation for how it had come to be submitted as an official expense.
posted by BP News Bureau | 6:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home