Election Law
Sarah Palin’s $150K Shopping Spree was Legal, FEC Says
Posted May 19, 2009, 05:15 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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