Birmingham News: Months after Congressman Bonner left office, campaign fund continued to dole out cash

"That, in fact, is the only constraint on how campaign funds can be spent," said Paul S. Ryan, the senior legal counsel for the Washington-based Campaign Legal Center. "Everything else is fair game."

The law lists several permissible categories of expenses, including contributions to other candidates or political parties, charitable donations and expenses associated with winding down a campaign. Ryan said it is not a comprehensive list. Anything reasonably connected to a former congressman's political activities is legal, he said. ...

The Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint over a vehicle that a New York congressman had purchased for his wife with campaign funds. He said the group was able to demonstrate that the wife was using the vehicle as her personal car, and the congressman ended up paying a fine. 

To read the full story at The Birmingham News, click here.