In an independent review, The Denver Post catalogued all 80 public events Rep. Boebert’s district is relatively large, its size still does not seem to account for the mileage reimbursed to her from the campaign. Boebert’s campaign failed to maintain required mileage logs that would support the legitimacy of the charges.
It’s also quite a coincidence that the amount she reimbursed herself is just a little more than the $19,000 in liens she repaid in October 2020.”Īccording to FEC filings, Lauren Boebert for Congress reimbursed Lauren Boebert an exorbitant $21,199.52 for personal vehicle mileage over a seven-month period, which, at the standard reimbursement rate of 57.5 cents per mile, equates to 36,868 miles driven. Boebert’s mileage claim doesn’t pass the smell test. Boebert’s campaign also failed to maintain required records of her expenses.ĬfA Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith said, “Rep.
– Today, Campaign for Accountability (CfA), a nonprofit watchdog group focused on public accountability, filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against Representative Lauren Boebert and her campaign for using campaign funds to reimburse herself over $21,000, allegedly for mileage. This year, Accountable.US, a liberal watchdog group asked a congressional ethics office to examine what it called "exorbitant" campaign reimbursements to Boebert for mileage expenses during the 2020 campaign, detailed by The Denver Post.WASHINGTON, D.C. In an August letter to the Boebert campaign questioning the expenses, FEC campaign finance analyst Shannon Ringgold warned that the commission "may consider taking further legal action" if it found that the four payments in question were used to improperly cover personal expenses.īut Ringgold also said that "prompt action to obtain reimbursement of the funds in question will be taken into consideration."īoebert, a firebrand congressional freshman known for her anti-establishment views, has faced scrutiny of her campaign activity before. On Thursday, FEC spokesman Christian Hilland said, "Our campaign finance analysts will review (Boebert's) amended report to see if it's sufficient."įorbes and The Denver Post first reported the Boebert's new campaign filing.
And, for the first time, the campaign indicated that the money had been used to pay rent and utility bills. This week's filing amended the July report from Boebert's campaign and showed the payments for the same amounts and on the same dates - previously described as personal expenses - as going to Pacheco. Her campaign had described the four payments as a "personal expense of Lauren Boebert billed to the campaign in error" and indicated that the money already had been reimbursed. That prompted scrutiny from federal campaign regulators who sent a letter to the campaign, seeking more information.
"There are some gray areas in campaign finance law, and this is really not one of them," added Noti, a former associate general counsel at the FEC.īut how federal regulators respond, he said, depends on the circumstances and whether payments represented an intentional attempt to misuse campaign dollars or were the result of sloppy compliance processes within the campaign.īoebert's campaign previously acknowledged the use of donors' funds for personal expenses in a July filing covering the second quarter of this year. And Adav Noti, a top official with the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, said using donors' money to pay rent and utilities is a "flagrant violation." It is against the law to use campaign funds for personal use.
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