A month after saying that he was canceling regular meetings with lobbyists the Washington Post reports that Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) continues to meet “with many of the same lobbyists at the same time and on the same day of the week,” as he previously did. The meetings, which are designed for strategy and to raise money for Santorum’s re-election bid, were held at the National Republican Senatorial Committee headquarters and at the offices of the Heritage Foundation, a non-profit conservative think-tank. Santorum is also facing criticism for using money from his political action committee to pay for 160 visits to coffee shops around his house, and numerous trips to fast food restaurants, and grocery stores. His campaign manager, Virginia Davis, justifies the use of PAC money to purchase coffee by stating that PACs “can be expensive to maintain”.
Continue readingCorporate Travel Reform Eyed in Senate:
A group of Senators are aiming to make lawmakers pay their fair share when they fly in corporate jets, according to the New York Times. Current rules stipulate that lawmakers must reimburse the cost for private jet travel at the commercial first class rate, which is significantly lower than the actual rate for private jet travel. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI), Rick Santorum (R-PA), and Barack Obama (D-IL) are proposing legislation that would force lawmakers to pay the actual rater for the private jet travel. Obama sees private jet travel “as a way to circumvent the limits on so-called soft money campaign contributions.”
Continue readingEthics Complaint Filed Against Santorum:
Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (CREW) filed an ethics complaint in the Senate Ethics Committee against Sen. Rick Santorum for receiving a loan from a private bank, whose “policy is to lend money only to its "affluent" investors, which the senator is not.” According to the Philadelphia Daily News, CREW “alleges that the mortgage from Philadelphia Trust Co. is a gift in violation of Senate Rule 35, which says that senators can receive loans or other banking services only on terms ‘generally available to the public.’”
Continue readingAn Honest Look at a Senator’s Family Budget:
An investigative report into Pennsylvania Republican Senator Rick Santorum’s finances reveals that he has received a home loan from a campaign contributor and used money from his political action committee in a variety of questionable ways. According to the report, published in full in the American Prospect and partially in the Philadelphia Daily News, Santorum received a second mortgage on his Herndon, Virginia mansion from Philadelphia Trust Company, “a new private bank catering to ‘affluent investors and institutions’”. The loan to Santorum is questionable because the bank’s policy is to only offer loans to clients with investment assets of $250,000 or more, a sum that Santorum does not come close to reporting in his annual personal financial filings. Santorum and his leadership PAC received $24,000 from Philadelphia Trust Company’s executives and directors. The use of funds by Santorum’s leadership PAC is also a source of intrigue. The PACs filings show numerous charges at grocery stores, fast food restaurants, and coffee shops – out of the ordinary charges for a PAC that is intended to donate money to other Republican’s campaigns.
Continue readingBoth Parties End Meetings with Lobbyists:
The Washington Post reports that Senate Republicans and Democrats have both ended their practice of meeting with lobbyists on a regular basis. Democrats previously met with sympathetic lobbyists every other Monday to plot strategy and to keep the lobbyists informed of the party’s plans. Republicans, led by Sen. Rick Santorum, met with lobbyists every other Tuesday and will cease to hold these meetings – “at least for now.” Both parties had already stopped handing out job listings at these meetings although the Republicans stopped more recently than Democrats.
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