The St. Pete Times has discovered that U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio and his wife controlled two political action committees that let him raise from a nearly insolvent young lawmaker to a power broker and Florida House Speaker. According to the St. Pete Times and Miami Herald, about $600,000 in contributions was stowed in those two committees.
Here’s how they spent the money:
* paid relatives nearly $14,000 for what was incorrectly described to the IRS as “courier fees” and listed a nonexistent address for one of them.
* paid $5,700 to his wife, who was listed as the treasurer, much of it for “gas and meals.”
* billed more than $51,000 in unidentified “travel expenses” to three different credit cards
You need to read this story.
Popularity: 4% [?]
SP Times today has a story up re. ethics charges filed vs. Rubio on misappropriation of party funds and obtaining a University job.
Looks like Mr. Calloway proves your point publicus.
It’s not corruption, graft of theft…. just a “lesson learned”. Maybe Rubio’s buddy Sansom can use the same defense.
The people that donated to the PAC are the real losers here…They donated their hard earned money to Rubio’s PAC assuming that their money was buying political favors and special treatment…not paying Rubio family members to pick up lunch.
From near insolvency, to a serious political force, all on his own initiative, the Times also shows what someone with drive and motivation can do. Those two PACs were of his own creation and funded by donors, not taxpayers. Even though the Times doesn’t frame the story that way.
Who doesn’t involve their family, when they can, to support the effort?
Shall we hang him for being an young and almost broke lawyer trying to build a career while still paying off student loans?
It’s a story. But I don’t think it rises to the criminal or even ethical level. Chalk it up to inexperience. You know, like Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner’s Quickbooks excuse.
It doesn’t shake my commitment to support him one bit. It’s a lesson learned for a bright and (ARGH!) conservative candidate.
[...] $600k in contributions was stowed in two PACs controlled by Marco Rubio [...]
truth doesnt matter. rubio’s supporters in the base will not see his feet of clay. they will blame crist that this is a story at all– and never think their hero is ethically challenged.
Charlie must be happy happy happy today because Rubio is blowing his doors off in the campaign efforts.
I get 10 emails a week from Rubio and if I did not occationally see it in the news I would not even know Crist was running.
Sad thing, I really like Crist … he just needs to step it up a notch … or 2.
You left out the fact that over $74,000 was never disclosed because the disbursements were less than $500 at a time.
The man has proven time and again he can’t be trusted with other people’s money. Sending him to the US Senate would be the height of folly on the part of Floridians.
It is long past time for Florida Republicans to see Rubio for who he really is rather than just for who he is not.
Meanwhile, every day is Christmas for Meek right now.