GRAE

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Ron Paul May Have Double-Billed the Government for Campaign Flights - Politics - The Atlantic Wire

Seeded on Tue Feb 7, 2012 1:35 AM EST

politics

Seeded by Grae

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Threatening the genuine small-government love that has endeared him to supporters, Ron Paul may have taken money from the government for flights his campaign and political action committees were already paying for. After looking through statements on a credit card assigned to Ron Paul & Associates Inc.,Roll Call lays out its case that Paul double-billed many flights by matching prices and dates of plane tickets charged to his campaign or PACs and also to taxpayers:

Roll Call identified eight flights for which the Texas Republican, a GOP presidential candidate and leading champion of smaller government, was reimbursed twice for the same trip. Roll Call also found dozens more instances of duplicate payments for travel from 1999 to 2009, totaling thousands of dollars' worth of excess payments, but the evidence in those cases is not as complete.

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Public Discussion (8)

Grae

Mr Personal Responsibility shows us how to rip off the American taxpayer. Don't you love it?

1 vote

#1 - Tue Feb 7, 2012 1:36 AM EST

bdjwill

I didn't expect this at all. /sarc

1 vote

#2 - Tue Feb 7, 2012 2:10 AM EST

lovemyplanet-400560

Ron Paul may have

probably

"May have"? "Probably"? This is not good journalism.

in many of those cases it's not possible to conclude that the matching flight payments represent duplicate reimbursements, because the possibility of an alternate traveler cannot be disproved. Paul has not been accused of wrongdoing by any authorities.

Benton said the office was unable to confirm travelers for any of the trips because "this stuff is so old, we don't even have full records."

"Congressman Paul has taken many thousands of commercial flights between Houston and Washington, D.C., since returning to Congress in 1997. The particular flights Roll Call provided us as examples occurred between 1999 and 2005, well before the current time periods for which the FEC and IRS require records to be maintained."

Paul also has specifically advertised the Spartan spending habits in his Congressional office, boasting in press releases in 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 about the amount of unused money he was returning to the Treasury from his budget for the previous year.

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_90/Records-Show-Ron-Paul-Trips-Paid-Twice-212118-1.html?pos=hftxt

This is a poorly researched hit piece.

1 vote

#3 - Tue Feb 7, 2012 2:23 AM EST

Grae

Actually, it's well researched. The Paul people stonewalled and gave contradictory answers to questions. They also never once denied the allegations when given the opportunity. It's always better to use "may" or "should" rather than a definitive "did" as we all know how litigious GOPers are.

2 votes

#3.1 - Tue Feb 7, 2012 2:36 AM EST

BD Styers

It doesn't have to be good journalism to raise doubt. When it can't be proven, raising doubt provides the desired result.

2 votes

#3.2 - Tue Feb 7, 2012 5:29 AM EST

Grae

On eight flights they are quite definitive that Paul double billed. On 12, they were not so sure. The campaign suggested that staffers accompanied Paul, but refused to provide names as any they provided could have been confirmed. Mr Responsibility's campaign is refusing to be responsible.

2 votes

#3.3 - Tue Feb 7, 2012 5:43 AM EST

BD Styers

doubtful

2 votes

#3.4 - Tue Feb 7, 2012 5:54 AM EST

lovemyplanet-400560

It doesn't have to be good journalism to raise doubt.

Which was the entire point of the hit piece with its "may have" and "probably". Probably? Says who? The author of the article? I thought so.

2 votes

#3.5 - Tue Feb 7, 2012 10:00 PM EST

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GRAE

Ron Paul May Have Double-Billed the Government for Campaign Flights - Politics - The Atlantic Wire

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