Posted on 03/29/2010 6:53:10 AM PDT by icwhatudo
According to two knowledgeable sources, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele once raised the possibility of using party money to buy a private jet for his travel.
---snip---
While Steele has not purchased a plane, he continues to charter them. According to federal disclosure records, the RNC spent $17,514 on private aircraft in the month of February alone (as well as $12,691 on limousines during the same period). There are no readily identifiable private plane expenses for Democratic National Committee chairman Tim Kaine in the DNC’s last three months of filings.
--snip---
Once on the ground, FEC filings suggest, Steele travels in style. A February RNC trip to California, for example, included a $9,099 stop at the Beverly Hills Hotel, $6,596 dropped at the nearby Four Seasons, and $1,620.71 spent [update: the amount is actually $1,946.25] at Voyeur West Hollywood, a bondage-themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
Michael Steal needs to go.
Is anyone else starting to think that Steele is a dem plant? A sex club? Idiot!
FIRE STEELE NOW!
Hard to believe this is true. The sources are anonymous.
Agree 100%. The chartered jets and big hotel bills are questionable, but at least could be legit. (Although, we should bear in mind that every dollar Steele wastes could be going to support for GOP candidates.)
But, there is no possible justification for the sex club charges. It is outrageous that contributions paid for this, and for me it costs Steele the benefit of the doubt on all the other expenses.
He was one of 7 who ran. He was one of two finalists the other had belonged to a whites only country club...
Having said all this, I am very, very concerned that Steele may not fully leverage our position in the November elections. If we doing anything less than take one House of Congress it will be a failure of EPIC proportions.
Even prior to these revelations one would have to be an utter fool to donate money to the RNC.
| Not that Steele doesn't deserve the boot for the ineffective way he's run the GOP, but in looking at the headlines on the DailyCaller, the site seems to be somewhat anti-GOP, anti-Tea Party, anti-Palin. |
dittos but let's confirm it first.
He was awfully popular around here a couple years ago. Remember all the “Thompson/Steele” taglines?
It just goes to show that we don’t really know any of these people.
Of course, her GOP predecessor, flew in small corporate jet. And Pelosi has set all the records for extravagant accommodations from a Speaker of the House.
No. He asked & he was turned down. They did not buy one.
Agreed, that is NOT how donations should be spent. And he can sit his ass in Coach along with the rest of us.
The article uses FEC reports as their source. Public information.
I never subscribed to the Two Minutes’ Hate on auto execs when they got called on the carpet for owning large private jets last year. There’s any number of extremely good reasons for leasing or fractional ownership (or even outright ownership) of a business jet. If you’re the CEO of a big company (or the RNC, for that matter), your time is allegedly very valuable. A Citation or Learjet can get you from point A to point B just as fast as a commercial airliner, with immensely less hassle, no waiting in TSA lines, and if used prudently, the ownership/leasing costs can be easily justified.
Rats tend to try and paint bizjets as status symbols of the filthy rich, and they can be. But there’s a lot of practical uses for them too. Besides, what’s the difference in the CEO of General Motors flying around on a Gulfstream and Nancy Pelosi grabbing an entire damn VIP-kitted Boeing 757 from the USAF and galloping around? Oh, wait, never mind, I remember now...it’s OK if government does it with MY money, but not OK if GM does it with THEIR money.
}:-)4
Let me assume that the sex club thing is not true for the moment.
The expenses for the stays at the Four Seasons, etc., were likely to court donors and included hotel, food and entertainment for donors who would return those $10,000 in expenses with millions of dollars in donations.
It may, in fact, be very wise to spend such money.
As to the sex club, that’s inexcusable, but I’m skeptical just because Steele is not an idiot and knows his expenses are not just reported to the FEC but to the whole RNC.
The stupid party, reverting to form.
LOL! I can’t wait to get mail from the RNC begging for more money!
Yep. As I said, I’m skeptical and it seems like the kind of group that would have no problem with making things up or stretching the truth.
These are Republicans we’re talking about, if there were any bombshells, it would have been on MSNBC first.
???I was referring to the sex club.
He may be bright and articulate, but with this sex club business, I doubt he is clean. If I were his wife I’d go get tested!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.