The more obvious question involves the use of campaign funds to pay for what appears to be a family trip to California last August. Stutzman's campaign reports according to the AP report listed more than $2,000 in expenditures for airline tickets for four, van rental and a Hilton Hotel bill. Stutzman's wife posted pictures of the family trip on her Facebook account, including pictures taken at the Reagan presidential library, which have since been deleted. The report notes Stutzman has spent over $300,000 since going to Washington from his campaign account for travel-related expenses. His campaign manager denied there was anything not in compliance with FEC rules and regulations. The optics don't look good and that really doesn't answer the question of why the campaign paid for what appears to be a family vacation.
The AP also delves into a murkier area of how much Stutzman has been reimbursed by his congressional office for travel within his district. The AP cites an 8-month period in 2015 when Stutzman was reimbursed $13,000 for mileage driven on a personal vehicle, which the reporter equates to 40 round trips from Stutzman's home in Howe, Indiana to the southernmost border touching Louisville, Kentucky. Stutzman's campaign declined to answer questions about the mileage reimbursements according to the reporter, which doesn't help make the issue go away as former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock learned the hard way when he dismissed initial reports about his personal spending habits. He not only had to resign his seat but has also faced a months-long federal grand jury investigation that has drawn many of those closest to him into the legal proceedings. Stutzman's folks don't appear to be handling this story any better at this point, which may mean that it continues to be an issue right up to election day, a story he can ill afford to have hanging over him in a close contest.
I've looked at campaign finance reports for many years, and I've often seen spending that appears to be questionable. I used to comment frequently on some of the more questionable expenditures, which normally has been met with a collective yawn by our mainstream media folks. I believe our elected representatives need to be held accountable for what they report to the government, but I also dislike the media's selective indignation over the manner in which representatives spend their campaign funds. A guy like Stutzman who touts himself as a conservative, anti-government type is often singled out for greater scrutiny than someone who is more of an establishment type favored by many in the media. It's not fair, but that's the way it is. State Rep. Justin Moed (D) gets to remain in office after he sends nude photos of himself to a porn actress and buys gifts for her using his campaign account without any uproar from the media, while State Rep. Jud McMillin (R) is forced to resign when someone stole his cell phone and distributed a sex video found on it to his personal contacts. Lots of politicians claim false residences when running for office, but it's only been a serious legal problem for one person. Life isn't fair.
UPDATE: The Indianapolis Star is now reporting that Stutzman has reimbursed his campaign committee $2,000 for the airline expense he paid for his family members on that trip to California. His campaign spokesperson says he did perform campaign-related activities while on the trip but decided in an abundance of caution to reimburse the campaign those costs. “Out of an abundance of caution, knowing that some of the trip was for personal time, the entire portion was reimbursed,” Josh Kelley said. The Star notes that Stutzman's opponent's hands aren't entirely clean when it comes to campaign finance law compliance. Todd Young's campaign was fined $8,670 by the FEC in 2012 for failing to timely report more than $75,000 he received in campaign contributions.
I had forgotten about this story I posted on a year ago. It involved a controversial trip Aaron Schock took to Saudi Arabia that was paid for by the Saudi government, but Schock failed to properly disclose the Saudi government had paid for the trip. Stutzman was on that same 10-day, 2011 trip with Rep. Schock; however, Stutzman properly reported that the Saudi government had financed the trip. I noted at that time the irony that the purpose of the trip was to discuss counter-terrorism given that a Saudi prince who participated in that visit had been tied to the financing of the 9/11 hijackers.
UPDATE: The Indianapolis Star is now reporting that Stutzman has reimbursed his campaign committee $2,000 for the airline expense he paid for his family members on that trip to California. His campaign spokesperson says he did perform campaign-related activities while on the trip but decided in an abundance of caution to reimburse the campaign those costs. “Out of an abundance of caution, knowing that some of the trip was for personal time, the entire portion was reimbursed,” Josh Kelley said. The Star notes that Stutzman's opponent's hands aren't entirely clean when it comes to campaign finance law compliance. Todd Young's campaign was fined $8,670 by the FEC in 2012 for failing to timely report more than $75,000 he received in campaign contributions.
I had forgotten about this story I posted on a year ago. It involved a controversial trip Aaron Schock took to Saudi Arabia that was paid for by the Saudi government, but Schock failed to properly disclose the Saudi government had paid for the trip. Stutzman was on that same 10-day, 2011 trip with Rep. Schock; however, Stutzman properly reported that the Saudi government had financed the trip. I noted at that time the irony that the purpose of the trip was to discuss counter-terrorism given that a Saudi prince who participated in that visit had been tied to the financing of the 9/11 hijackers.
6 comments:
$3,000,000 plus can buy you a lot of oppo research. I rather suspect AP was fed all of these observations but I think every politician in America should visit Ronald Reagan's tomb. It is a bucket list item for patriotic Americans...even ex Marines. There are plenty of books to select from in their gift shop and the self guided tour is well worth doing as a revisiting of American history usually is. Only thing missing is Sam Donaldson's hectoring, the mindless press hatred and misinformation they put out against him and his successful policies.
I don't know what he was doing but the idea you would fly out, spend one night in a hotel, and fly home sounds stupid. There is a lot to do in that area aside from the Tomb and Library....a country guess is that some function was held there and a portion of his expenses were properly related to the funds he used. The day I was there it was raining but I still spent a bit of time with Ronald Reagan thinking about him, Maggie Thatcher, Pope Saint John Paul The Great, Lech Walsea, and, of course George Meany whose use of CIA funding kept the union movements behind the Iron Curtain alive and the idea of solidarity.
On the other hand, one might question the wisdom of taking a 10 year old and a 14 year old to the Reagan library. I wouldn't, but that's because I like to have fun on a vacation. I hope they made some other stops.
It depends on the child. I would have enjoyed it at that age, but I admit I wasn't like most other kids at that age.
As a hit piece, the AP is a fail. As for kids at the Reagan Library there is also his Air Force One, Marine One, movies, shows, and lots to keep kids occupied. But, it is nice to know that the candidate has two kids of those ages. I didn't know that. So, instead of apportioning air fare Stutzman decided to reimburse for all of it. No big deal. While California is expensive the clue that he was campaigning was the $1,147 van rental.....pretty steep for a one day vacation. In an effort to balance reporting, I guess, the Young failure to report $75,700 is reported (who knew) and Young's fine was $8,670.00 American according to MGroppe. Still, it does reflect something about candidates that the one trailing has spouted off on a late campaign smear while failing to mention his own transgressions .... that information only being disclosed by the Stutzman spokesperson.....
Did you miss this one in the Chicago Tribune? "In our 2012 US Senate race in Indiana, I ran the NW quadrant of the state for Richard Mourdock. I was personally responsible for making sure we had the 500 signatures in the 1st Congressional District to put Mourdock on the ballot. Not only did I triple make sure he had much more than the required signatures, but that the sheets were photo copied for the record. Even school age children know to get double the signatures & copy them.
I am very disappointed and discouraged that the Board didn't see fit to comply with the law of the minimal threshold required 500 signatures for Todd Young this past week. One of the Republican Board Members Bryce Bennett, who voted to allow Todd Young on the ballot, rather ironically is a donor to his Senate campaign. Integrity and ethicalness says Bryce should of recused himself from voting because of conflict of interest, but he did not. This has done great damage not only for trust in the process for the voters, but to the process itself. If Todd Young cannot complete the basic requirements, then he certainly should not be entrusted to represent Indiana in the Senate by the voters.
Suzy Barnhart, Merrillville" I will mention that many business people who attend business conventions very often take advantage of the tax deductions of air fare and sign up for "post convention" trips which may or may not be tax deductible depending on the business purposes, e.g. are there business reasons to associate with certain people in a social manner? In political life, not being on Ways and Means, raising money for campaigns would take candidates to all sorts of places. If I had to go to California near LA I'd sure combine business with pleasure. I hope he was able to get the direct flight to LAX from Indianapolis.....
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/05/09/tax-writing-congressman-violated-tax-law/ Does anyone think that this story was dug up by anyone not in Indiana? Now, if you cannot count to 500 maybe your head has been jarred once too many times?
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