Election Law
Sarah Palin’s $150K Shopping Spree was Legal, FEC Says
Posted May 19, 2009 5:15 PM CST
By Martha Neil
A $150,000 shopping spree at Neiman Marcus, Victoria's Secret and other well-known department stores by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her family was a legal use of political funds, the Federal Election Commission has held.
In a 5-0 vote that was taken last month but announced today the FEC found that Palin and the Republican National Committee did not violate campaign-finance rules. That's because the clothing money paid on behalf of the former vice-presidential candidate and her family came from the RNC rather than donations made directly to Palin, reports the Politico.
“Gov. Palin states that the RNC used its own funds to make the expenditures for the clothing and accessories, and not the funds in the campaign account of any candidate. We have no information to the contrary. As such, no candidate funds were converted to ‘personal use,’” writes the FEC in an explanation sent today to the complainant in the case, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
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Comments
Kennyg
May 20, 2009 9:45 AM CST
Gee, do you think that NBC, CBS, ABC and MSNBC will cover this with as much fervor as they did when it first came out before the election?
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JR
May 20, 2009 10:32 AM CST
Kennyg misses the point. The FEC said the spree did not violate campaign laws. It did not say anytning more. The spending showed Palin’s hypocrisy about being a “soccer mom” running against an “elitist” and showed that the Republicans cared not a whit about ordinary people or managing money.
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DB
May 20, 2009 11:02 AM CST
When Republicans like Kennyg attack the media, you know they have have an otherwise indefensible issue. When those networks do cover the ruling, will Kenny praise them for doing so?
Someone should sue FEC and review their financial records to see where these “RNC Funds” came from.
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J.D.
May 20, 2009 1:32 PM CST
Christ. Anyone who still thinks that the media is impartial is clearly mentally unsound.
Nearly every media outlet is WORSHIPING our current president. If you don’t see this, you have reading and listen comprehension skills lower than most 1st graders.
The media remains oddly fascinated with Palin more so than any Republican voter!
Republicans live in poor states (Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas….) while Democrats live in Manhattan condos. Why are the most expensive places to live in the U.S. deeply BLUE? You sound stupid claiming that the GOP is the party of the rich.
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DR
May 20, 2009 5:06 PM CST
J.D.:
I live in New York (Brooklyn, actually). Name me a Wall Street person (living in a multi-million condo) who is concerned about social (and, in your opinion, liberal) policies and I’ll give you a homemade cookie from my very own middle class co-op in my very blue-collar neighborhood in my very own New York City. You don’t live here. You’re not qualified to comment on it. Live here, pay the taxes that I pay…do the things that I do to survive here…and then you can comment. Thank you.
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T.R.
May 27, 2009 9:07 AM CST
Did anyone actually think her $150K shopping spree was illegal somehow?
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