A complaint by Change for Arizona 2024 was filed this week with the Federal Election Commission. The Daily Beast has also been looking into Sinema's spending, saying that while it appeared to be "unique", it was also legal under existing rules.
Source: AZ Central
A group seeking to oust U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has filed a formal complaint with election authorities about her campaign spending habits, accusing her of “living a lifestyle of luxury financed by her special interest donors, to the detriment of her constituents in Arizona.”
The complaint, filed with the Federal Election Commission, cites reports that Sinema, I-Ariz., used campaign contributions to underwrite lavish trips to Paris and London, as well as overly pricey costs for lodging, travel and food unmatched by congressional candidates.
“We have been watching with growing concern the instances of Sinema abusing the power of her office, exploiting her campaign and Senate accounts for personal use. We now demand an official investigation into whether Sen. Sinema has broken the law,” said Luis Avila, a senior adviser with Change for Arizona 2024, a political-action committee better known as Replace Sinema.
And what kind of money are we talking about here?
In all, there were 51 expenditures totaling nearly $36,000 to 17 hotels the complaint characterizes as “luxury hotels, resorts and spas” in France, the United Kingdom and ski resorts in Colorado and Utah.
Ok, but probably not that unusual for politicians. But there's more. A lot more.
Beyond Sinema’s travel expenses, the complaint notes nearly $20,000 in wine expenses, $9,000 in meal costs at expensive restaurants and “an astonishing $45,000 in campaign and PAC Expenditures on chauffeured car services.”
Sinema used campaign and official funds on charter air services totaling $70,000 over a 12-month span beginning in 2021, the complaint said.
By comparison, U.S. Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., spent about $18,000 and $24,000, respectively, on airfare between 2019 and 2022, the complaint said. Sinema spent $117,000 in that period, the complaint says.
