Democrats and the GOP Finally Agree on Something: How to Use PAC Loopholes to Fund Luxury Lifestyles
Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill seem to have few things in common these days. But together, many members of Congress of both parties have racked up a staggering tab in recent years paying for their luxurious lifestyles on donors’ dimes. A South Dakota senator spent $403,000 at West Virginia’s Greenbrier Sports Club. A Missouri senator spent $117,000 at the Disney Yacht Club Resort in Florida. An Ohio congressman spent $64,000 on Broadway tickets in New York City. However, some members can’t quench their thirst for luxury living domestically, so they visit five-star hotels with breathtaking panoramic views over Athens, Greece.
This runaway spending was brought to light in a new report, "How Leadership PACs Became Politicians' Preferred Ticket to Luxury Living," released on July 20 by our two government reform groups, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) and Issue One. The report highlights many bipartisan abuses of a source of funds little known beyond the beltway, but widely exploited within it: so-called leadership PACs.