Landrieu used taxpayer dollars for pricey campaign flight

In violation of federal law, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) used government money to charter a private plane to travel to a campaign fundraiser. CNN,

“Landrieu spent more than $3,200 in taxpayer money to fly 400 miles round trip from New Orleans to Lake Charles, Louisiana, where she attended a $40-per person fundraising lunch with hundreds of women, according to Senate records and Landrieu campaign information. It is illegal to spend government money campaigning.

“The campaign didn’t notice the mistake until July 29. Two days later, on July 31, USA Today published a story showing that Landrieu was one of the Senate’s most frequent fliers, spending $47,000 last year on taxpayer-funded charter flights…

“Even though the mistake was corrected, the campaign still violated federal law and could face civil fines, said Paul S. Ryan, senior counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan campaign watchdog.”