Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, running for Senate in Kentucky, released a statement asserting that the payments made for the 45-foot-long bus used for campaign purposes are within market rates. Politico,
“The response came after POLITICO reported Tuesday that a company owned by Grimes’ father purchased the bus and appeared to be renting it to her campaign at a discounted rate of roughly $456 per day. The report said that several bus companies quoted the costs of a similar bus at $1,500 to $2,000 per day, including fuel and driver costs… Officials released a September letter from Staley Coach & Sales of Madison, Tennessee, saying it would rent a similar bus for $150 to $175 per day…
“However, the person who signed the letter, Libby Staley, said in an interview Tuesday that the company only sells buses; it does not rent them. She said the firm provided the estimate based on its expertise in the industry but that it was difficult to settle on a figure because the model of Grimes’ campaign bus, a 2003 Prevost, is “obsolete.”
“The $150-$175 estimate also did not include driver or fuel costs, Staley said… Given the miles campaigns travel across their respective states and the high price of gas, companies that do not provide fuel costs would certainly provide lower estimates. The $456 per day that the Grimes campaign has paid for her bus rental appears to include her fuel costs…
“The issue is significant because federal campaign finance law prohibits campaigns from receiving goods and services beneath fair-market value from a corporation. If the bus rental is not of market value, it would be considered an illegal in-kind donation.”
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