Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu has been under fire for weeks for billing taxpayers for multiple private air charters to attend campaign fundraisers, which of course is a violation of federal law.
After multiple reports exposed Landrieu’s abuse of taxpayer dollars, the embattled Senator promised a full investigation and audit (overseen by herself, of course). As the Advocate reported in mid-August, “Moving to defuse a simmering controversy over her use of taxpayer-financed charter flights for campaigning — a violation of federal law — U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said today she has ordered a review of all her air travel in her 18 years in the Senate to make sure no other trips were paid for improperly. …A Landrieu spokesman said the review will look at all payments from her office account for commercial and charter flights dating to when she took office in January 1997, to make sure the trips were for official Senate business — a legal use of the money. The results of the review will be released publicly by the time the Senate returns on Sept. 8 from its August recess, the spokesman said.”
That self-imposed deadline came and went, without any update from Landrieu. This morning, after giving Landrieu all week to keep her promise, the RNC released its own audit detailing her abuse of taxpayer dollars amid reports that a Friday afternoon news dump was coming from the Landrieu campaign.
The RNC report details suspicious taxpayer-funded flights that correspond with donations received on the same day of her travel dating back to the year 2000. These suspicious flights are listed below:
Exhibit A – 5/31/2000: Landrieu Took A Chartered Flight From New Orleans To Alexandria May 31, 2000, At A Cost Of $1,531.88
Exhibit B – 3/16/2002 – 3/17/2002: Landrieu Took A Chartered Flight From New Orleans To Ruston On March 16, 2002, At A Cost Of $1,343.75. Landrieu Then Took A Chartered Flight From Monroe To Many Destinations On March 17, 2002 At A Cost Of $1,290.00. NOTE: According To Google Maps, Ruston Is Less Than A 45 Minute Drive From Monroe. (Google Maps, Accessed 8/15/14)
Exhibit C – 4/3/2002 – 4/4/2002: Landrieu Took A Chartered Flight From New Orleans To Deridder And Lafayette On April 3, 2002, At A Cost Of $1,241.09. Landrieu Took A Round-Trip Flight From Baton Rouge To Lafayette, Ruston, Mansfield, And Alexandria On April 4, 2002, At A Cost Of $2,350.93.
Exhibit D – 7/22/2005: Landrieu Took A Round-Trip Chartered Flight From New Orleans To Opelousas And Slidell On July 22, 2005, At A Cost Of $950.00.
Exhibit E – 8/21/2005: Landrieu Took A Chartered Flight From Monroe To Alexandria On August 13, 2005, At A Cost Of $1,100.00. NOTE: According To Google Maps, Colfax, Lecompte, Marksville, Winnfield, And Natchitoches Are Less Than A One Hour Drive From Alexandria. Landrieu Took A Round-Trip Chartered Flight From Houma To Slidell And Lafayette On August 21, 2005, At A Cost Of $1,325.00.
Exhibit F – 8/25/2005: Landrieu Took A Chartered Flight From Slidell To Lake Charles, Jennings, And Baton Rouge On August 25, 2005, At A Cost Of $1,655.00.
NOTE: According To Google Maps, Plaquemine And White Castle Are Within 45 Minutes Of Baton Rouge.
Exhibit G – 5/18/2008: Landrieu Took A Round-Trip Chartered Flight From New Orleans To Monroe On May 18, 2008, At A Cost Of $2379.88. NOTE: According To Google Maps, Rayville Is Less Than A 30 Minute Drive From Monroe.
Exhibit H – 8/14/2008: Landrieu Took A Chartered Flight From New Orleans To Shreveport And Baton Rouge On August 14, 2008, At A Cost Of $2365.69. NOTE: According To Google Maps, Plain Dealing Is Less Than A 45 Minute Drive From Shreveport.
Mary Landrieu billed taxpayers nearly $15,000 for these flights. The payoff for her campaign? $136,627. Sounds like quite a deal. Our flight crew has been making sure that Senator Landrieu is getting the type of service she has grown accustomed to while “Air Mary” remains grounded. In light of this audit, sounds like it will remain that way for a while.
Seize the day – enjoy the weekend,
Brad Dayspring
@BDayspring
Brook Hougesen
@Brook_H
2014 BATTLEGROUND SONAR
(NORTH CAROLINA) Kay Hagan STILL Ducking Debates, but they’ll go on without her.
In a statement, Tillis quoted Andy Taylor, a political science professor at N.C. State University, as believing that the Republican candidate could benefit from Hagan’s refusal. “Tillis has been working to paint the picture that (Hagan) is out of touch with North Carolinians, and this could help him make that point. Here he can demonstrate that visually by saying, ‘Look, I’m here, and I don’t know where she is,’” Taylor said. Tillis sent Hagan a letter Tuesday asking her to reconsider her refusals. Apparently, the debate will go on with or without Hagan.
(IOWA) Joni Ernst Fights Off, Withstands MASSIVE onslaught of Democrat spending, attacks
Only one percentage points separates Democrat Bruce Braley and Republican Joni Ernst in the race to represent Iowa in the U.S. Senate. If the election were held today, 49% of likely Iowa voters say they would vote for Braley and 48% say they would support Ernst, according to a new CNN/ORC poll. That means the contentious race is within the survey’s overall sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. The electorate is far from solidified. Twenty percent of likely voters polled in Iowa said they could change their mind before Election Day in November.
Ernst allies attack Braley’s support for prison facility
CNN Highlights Dead Heat In Senate Race, Obama’s Unpopularity In Iowa
(COLORADO) Local CBS team turns on Sen. Udall for declining live debate request: ‘Disappointing,’ ‘unfortunate’
The CBS News affiliate in Denver, Colo., KCNC-TV, is deeply unimpressed with Democratic incumbent Sen. Mark Udall’s failure to agree to a live debate with his Republican challenger, Rep. Cory Gardner. The scorned news team noted in this scathing three-minute segment that this race will mark the first time in the station’s history that an incumbent senator has failed to show up to debate his opponent live on camera. CBS4 Political Specialist Shaun Boyd called Udall’s refusal both “disappointing” and “unfortunate.”
Mark Udall, Scaredy Cat
TWEET: Would @MarkUdall2014 feel more comfortable if we had a televised debate on a mountain? #copolitics #IfYouCanHikeYouCanDebate
(ARKANSAS) Pryor and Cotton will debate October 14th
“We are pleased that after months of ducking debates and running from reporters, Senator Pryor will finally have to defend his record of rubber-stamping President Obama’s agenda over 90% of the time. It’s unfortunate that Senator Pryor specifically objected to including any discussion of foreign policy in this debate. Arkansas’s 6,000 active duty military personnel, 4,000 military civilians, and approximately 250,000 veterans deserve an explanation from Senator Pryor as to why his support for President Obama’s national security policies aren’t worthy of debate in a race for the U.S. Senate.” said Cotton spokesman David Ray.
QUESTION: Finally, a statewide network debate in Arkansas. Problem is that Mark Pryor demanded no foreign policy questions be asked. Incredible. Why is Mark Pryor afraid foreign policy questuions. Will Journalists in Washington hold him accountable? (H/T – Brad Todd)
(ALASKA) NEW Dan Sullivan for U.S. Senate Ad: “Respect”
(LOUISIANA) LANDRIEU FAILS TO PRODUCE PROMISED AIR CHARTER TRAVEL REPORT ON TIME
When the controversy surrounding Senator Mary Landrieu’s (D-LA) use of taxpayer funds to pay for campaign travel first broke back in August, her Senate office spokesperson Matthew Lehner promised Landrieu would produce a full report of her travel activities “by the time” the Senate returned from its August recess and returned to session in September. By Thursday, the fourth day since the Senate’s September session began, Landrieu has produced diddly squat. Efforts to contact Lehner, who made that promise on her behalf, resulted in an automatic email saying that, as of September 2, he no longer worked in her congressional office. Calls to her campaign were not returned.
IMPORTANT: House OKs Cassidy’s ‘keep your plan’ bill
(NEW HAMPSHIRE) Sen. Rand Paul to visit Granite State, endorse Scott Brown
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, a possible Republican candidate for president in 2016, is continuing his New Hampshire trip. Paul will headline a “Unity Breakfast” Friday morning in Manchester to rally Republicans after this week’s primary. Then he’ll endorse Scott Brown for U.S. Senate. Brown is the former senator from Massachusetts who moved to New Hampshire in December and won Tuesday’s primary to set up a run against incumbent Democrat Jeanne Shaheen.
SHAHEEN’S NAT SECURITY PROBLEM: Sen. Scott Brown, has focused heavily on the ISIS threat over the past few weeks, charging Obama’s foreign policy, which he says Shaheen supports, has contributed to the situation.
(GEORGIA) PolitiFact: A convicted felon did host a fundraiser for Michelle Nunn
She pledged to give back the money he raised, though the campaign and Murrell have not confirmed the donations were returned or how much was determined to be linked to Murrell. Most of the statement from the Ending Spending attack ad is correct. A convicted felon did host a fundraiser for Michelle Nunn. Nunn has said she did not know anything about the man’s criminal background. And there is evidence from a leaked memo that her campaign was not vetting donors. The claim is accurate. But it leaves out some relevant details. We rate it Mostly True.
Secretary of State’s Office investigating voter registration fraud by Senior Nunn Advisor in Gwinnett
CLOSE TIES BETWEEN MICHELLE NUNN AND GROUP ACCUSED OF VOTER REGISTRATION FRAUD
(MICHIGAN) Senate race between Gary Peters, Terri Lynn Land is a time for choosing
There is only one candidate running for U.S. Senate whose agenda will hurt Michiganians, and that candidate is Peters. He opposes policies that grow our economy, create jobs and ensure that the next generation is better off than we are. To make matters worse, Peters’ campaign is based on falsehoods. Peters claims to oppose outsourcing and offshoring American jobs after sending a lucrative Michigan contract overseas, voting for legislation and reserving earmarks for companies that outsource jobs and directly profiting from the practice of offshoring himself.
Portman says Michigan senate seat ‘winnable’ for GOP
(MINNESOTA) Fact Checkers Discredit Franken Attack Ad
One week after launching an untrue attack ad, the Al Franken for Senate campaign still cannot back up the crux of their attack against Mike McFadden. Fact checkers from Minnesota Public Radio and WCCO-TV have concluded that Lazard Middle Market, the firm co-headed by Mike McFadden, is incorporated in Delaware. MPR says that the company is “subject to U.S. taxes.” WCCO-TV says that Franken “may overstate McFadden’s Bermuda connection.” “The business Mike McFadden ran is based in the United States and paid U.S. taxes, yet Senator Franken continues to peddle lies to the people of Minnesota,” said McFadden spokesman Tom Erickson. “Fact-checkers have debunked the ad, saying that it is misleading, begging the question, ‘why won’t Al Franken tell Minnesotans the truth?’”
Questions Voters are Asking: What Has Al Franken been doing?
(OREGON) Jeff Merkley, Monica Wehby agree to Medford debate
Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley and Republican challenger Monica Wehby have agreed to an Oct. 14 debate at KOBI TV in Medford, the television station says. So far, the two haven’t agreed on any other joint encounters, including a proposed debate in Portland sponsored by The Oregonian and KGW TV.
Monica Wehby: Obama’s Inacation on ISIS led to crisis
(VIRGINIA) NEW Ed Gillespie Ad: “Warner’s Lie of the Year”
Times Dispatch: Up to 250,000 Virginians face canceled health policies
NBC12: 250K Virginians may lose plans because of Obamacare requirements
Sheriffs say Warner inaccurately listed them as supporters in Va. Senate race
(KANSAS) What They’re Saying
Senator Roberts delivered a commanding victory in his first debate with his liberal opponent Greg Orman. The contrast between Senator Roberts’ record of delivering conservative results for Kansas and the waffling, liberal Greg Orman was on full display.
Questions Reporters Should Be Asking: AP Reports that a “National Democratic attorney is now part of Kansas Senate race and State Supreme Court Challenge.” MORE: “Elias is a partner in a Washington law firm, and his online biography says his clients include the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. He did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.” SO WHO IS PAYING HIM?
(MONTANA) Steve Daines for Montana Ad: Timber
(SOUTH DAKOTA) Rounds Op Ed: The Balance of Power in the U.S. Senate Impacts You
We all know it – the Harry Reid led U.S. Senate is dysfunctional. They aren’t doing the people’s business. Yet, they are finding the time to push through Obama’s judicial nominees. And, that should concern us all – especially in the manner in which they’re doing it.
(WEST VIRGINIA) NEW Shelley Moore Capito Ad: “Shared Values”
(MISSISSIPPI) 51 Towns in August
As Senator Cochran said in his speech at the Neshoba County Fair back in late July, Mississippi is worth fighting for. During the August recess, Thad delivered this message in 51 different towns across Mississippi.
(KENTUCKY) After Blasting McConnell For Returning To DC, Grimes Heads To Fundraiser…In DC
Yesterday, Sen. Mitch McConnell’s Democratic challenger, Alison Lundergan Grimes, blasted him for returning to work in Washington D.C. Grimes is starting to fall behind in the polls, with the New York Times basically saying that McConnell’s re-election is the most probable outcome come Election Day. Nevertheless, it’s beyond desperate that Grimes is attacking McConnell, who is part of the GOP leadership (he sort of has to come back), for returning to D.C. to work, while she also heads off to raise money…in D.C.
POLLING BRIEF
Gallup’s Sept. 4-7 Governance poll
The Republican Party has expanded its historical edge over the Democratic Party in Americans’ minds as being better able to protect the U.S. from international terrorism and military threats. At this point, 55% of Americans choose the GOP on this dimension, while 32% choose the Democratic Party. This is the widest Republican advantage in Gallup’s history of asking this question since 2002.
Republicans have held a perceptual edge on this question in all but two of the 12 years that it has been asked — 2007 and 2012. The GOP’s edge has been significant in many of the other years, although the 19-percentage-point gap measured in 2002, which was previously the largest, is eclipsed by this year’s 23-point Republican edge.
The strong Republican advantage this year is most likely related to the increasing news coverage of ISIS and its beheadings of two American journalists. Although the Obama administration has initiated air attacks against terrorist positions in Iraq, the president’s widely quoted comments that he had “no strategy” for dealing with the issue may help explain why Americans have become less likely to say the Democrats could better protect the U.S. from terrorism and military threats.
In addition to the GOP advantage on matters of security, Americans also give the Republican Party an edge as the party better able to keep the country prosperous, with 49% choosing the Republicans and 40% the Democrats.
There is a clear relationship between these perceptions and the outcome of midterm elections, with the president’s party losing substantial seats when it has a deficit as the better party for economic prosperity, even though each election has its own unique dimensions. These results are thus best seen as providing an estimate of the direction of an election, rather than any precise outcome.
ON THE TWITTERS
@hookjan – Warning sign for Dems: Poll finds women’s preference for Dem Congress shrinks to 47-40, from 51-37 a month ago http://on.wsj.com/1lZ3hy3 via
@CapitolViewAR – .@PryorForSenate campaign declined @KARK4News invitation for live, statewide #Nexstar debate #ARSen #arpx
@RTDNEWS - Up to 250,000 Virginians may lose health insurance plans that don’t comply with the ACA. #rva #vagov http://ow.ly/Bp77g
@kristilreed – .@GASOSKemp investigating voter registration fraud in #Gwinnett – http://goo.gl/8rmffq
@markknoller – Tomorrow afternoon, Pres Obama visits Baltimore. Tours Fort McHenry and does a DSCC fundraiser.
@benvoelkel - Get my room ready, Mom! #lasen “@GingerGibson: Spotted (flying commercial) at DCA in line next to the gate to MSY: @MaryLandrieu.