Perry's Mansion Spending Violates Campaign Laws

http://info.tpj.org/press_releases/pdf/mansion.teccomplaint.pr.jun22.pdf">Texans for Public Justice press relase 6/22/10
Governor Perry’s Mansion Spending
Violates Campaign Laws, TPJ Alleges

Complaint Urges Texas Ethics Commission to Make Governor’s Campaign
Itemize Mansion-Related Expenditures, As Required By Law

(Austin)—Texans for Public Justice filed a Texas Ethics Commission complaint today alleging that Governor Rick Perry’s campaign violated campaign disclosure law by failing to itemize how it spent $816,000 on such mansion-related expenditures as food, beverages, alcohol and cable television.

Rather than itemizing such expenditures, as required by law, Texans for Rick Perry routinely reports lump-sum "Mansion Fund" expenditures of as much as $63,989. Since 2001, the campaign reported 145 "Mansion Fund" expenditures totaling more than $816,000. TPJ’s complaint alleges that the campaign is required to itemize each underlying "Mansion-Fund" expenditure, reporting the name of the vendor, as well as the amount, date and purpose of each transaction. The Ethics Commission similarly prohibits campaigns from reporting lump-sum expenditures for credit card bills because this prevents the public from seeing when the campaign paid what to whom. The Ethics Commission has treated campaign disclosures containing unitemized credit-card expenditures as late or incomplete reports subject to a penalty of $500 per report. TPJ’s complaint covers five reports that the governor’s campaign filed over the past two years.

AAS 6/22/10
Complaint over Texas governor's mansion spending

AUSTIN, Texas — A government watchdog group is filing a complaint against GOP Gov. Rick Perry's campaign for failing to disclose how it spends money at the governor's mansion and at his interim residence.

Since 2001, Perry's campaign has spent more than $800,000 on "mansion expenditures."

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Records obtained this year by The Associated Press show Perry has used campaign money to throw parties, buy food and drink, and pay for cable TV and other services at his official residence.