Senators are not permitted to use Senate cash to fly to fundraisers - but that didn’t stop Democratic Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu from taking 43 trips on her Senate office account.
The Perkins Coie law firm reviewed Landrieu’s travel from her 18 years in the Senate:
The report found that Landrieu's official office paid $33,727.02 -- about 11 percent of the total amount her official office paid for chartered flights during that time -- should have been prorated and paid by her campaign.
Landrieu blamed the mistakes on "sloppy bookkeeping" in a written apology. Her constituents, however, may not be so forgiving.
The report comes at a most inopportune time: 50 days before Election Day. Unsurprisingly, Landrieu’s GOP opponents Bill Cassidy and Rob Maness have taken advantage of her campaign blunder, calling it irresponsible.
It gets worse (or better, depending on who you're voting for): The Republican National Committee claims Landrieu owes her constituents even more. Nine flights between 2000 and 2008 reportedly show that the senator owes taxpayers an additional $130,527.
Breitbart News has the detailed audit of the questionable trips. It wasn’t until after the RNC revealed these trips that Landrieu released her own report.
Will Louisianans accept Landrieu’s late apology? Or will they book her a one-way ticket home from Washington?
Update: Landrieu's GOP challenger Bill Cassidy has introduced a Charter Flight Transparency Resolution that would require members of the U.S. House and Senate to report when Congressional funds are used for private chartered planes. Here's a statement from his campaign:
“Taking charter planes unnecessarily is a waste of Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars. It makes no sense to fly on a $3,000 private jet if you can get to the same location in a few hours’ drive time and a $50 tank of gas. Washington’s spending is out of control and this is one of the reasons why. Ensuring that Washington is transparent and tax dollars are spent wisely is a priority.”
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