As you may know, Senator David Vitter of Louisiana was implicated in the D.C. Madam case and has admitted that he committed a “very serious sin.”
Not only is he still serving as a United States Senator from Louisiana, but now he wants to use his campaign money to pay legal bills related to his being subpoenaed in the case.
This guy just can’t leave well enough alone.
Anyway, the issue recently went before the Federal Election Commission.[1]
They apparently agreed that he could use campaign money to pay for “$31,341 in public relations costs and legal work related to a complaint filed with the Senate Ethics Committee.”
But when it came to dealing with the hookers things got tight: the vote dead-locked with the 3 republican commissioners saying the distinguished Senator could use his campaign money to pay legal bills not related to his official duties and the 3 democrats saying he couldn’t.
Since I’m pretty sure problems with hookers had nothing to do with Senator Vitter’s “family values” election platform the democrats are right on this one.
3 republican FEC commissioners, Donald F. McGahn, II, Caroline C. Hunter, and Matthew S. Peterson, taking care of a fellow republican.[2]
Now that’s ”real family values.”
[1] http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/fec_split_in_vitters_push_for.html
[2] http://www.fec.gov/members/members.shtml. The web-site doesn’t tell you which ones are which. I had to call the FEC to find out. (202) 694-1000.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
When Republicans talk about family values they mean “family” in the Tony Soprano sense.
so what is the status, they do have a quorum now so they can vote, they’re 7 now on the board.
Where does he / she stand on this ?
You forgot: “Nor prohibition of payment of legal fees arising from said activities with other people’s money.”