In Florida the GOP’s financial records were released this past Friday under federal investigation for lavish spending and superfluous expenses. The record confirmed that over 7 million dollars in American Express credit cards was spent under 31 past and current elected officials – including ex-chairman Jim Greer and the former party executive director Delmar Johnson.
According to the Miami Herald it was a loophole in election law that kept their receipts from the public eye. Despite being subpoenaed in the grand jury investigation of Ray Sansom (R-Destin), elected officials and Greer refused to release their foot-high pile of AmEx credit card slips.
An excerpt from the Miami Herald reads:
According to American Express billing statements obtained by the Miami Herald and St. Petersburg Times, he charged nearly $500,000 to his American Express card since he was hand-picked by Gov. Charlie Crist in January 2007 to head the party.
The bills include luxury hotels, costly entertainment, high end dining, spas, stylish clothing and gifts. Not long ago we watched as Kentucky senate minority leader Mitch McConnell attended a private meeting behind closed doors with Wall Street elites like Hedge Fund alongside Texas Senator John Cornyn. It is these actions from the GOP that reveal economic misunderstanding and a lack of empathy toward the public interest. In knowing, it is not difficult to conclude why the GOP is against financial reform.
