I was just watching one of my least favorite political shows, "Race to the White House" with David Gregory... one of the talking heads, Lawrence O'Donnell I believe is his name, just blurted out something that I have been wondering about all day since the story broke... he said, and I'm paraphrasing, "the bigger question is was the purchase of clothing with funds against the law. I think it's clearly against FEC regulations, especially for family members."
One of the other talking heads try to laugh it off saying that in the past many questionable things have been done with campaign funds, but he stood his ground reiterating that it was a clear violation of FEC rules. Needless to say there were a few seconds of dead air after that, with everybody looking uncomfortable, especially Gregory and Buchanan... then they went to commercial.
I'm certainly not an election funding geek, so how about it you Kossacks out there?
I've always been perturbed with George Bush writing off all of his campaign appearances on Air Force One on the taxpayers, but apparently this has always been relatively legal. But there's something about dressing up Barbie to the tune of $150,000 just this month alone that seemed a little beyond the pale... maybe it is...
It's interesting to me that we have been so drowned in criminality over the last seven years that nobody seemed to think anything wrong about this until now.
I'll insert the video if and when somebody finds it or it becomes available... or maybe this is all a nonissue.
Haberdasher tip to Endangered Alaskan Dem who adds in the comments:
the FEC has ruled that campaigns may not use campaign funds for personal expenses, defined as expenses a candidate would have even if she were not engaged in a political campaign.
Specifically, the article states that the FCC has ruled that a campaign may purchase t-shirts and baseball caps with the campaign logo on them, but not clothes that may be worn by the candidate in daily life (or words to that effect -- I don't know how to copy the link and a quote at the same time, so you'll have to read the article.)