Offering frequent news and analysis from the majestic Evergreen State and beyond, The Cascadia Advocate is the Northwest Progressive Institute's unconventional perspective on world, national, and local politics.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

McCain Uses Taxpayer Money for Campaign Event

Via Natasha at MyDD, we learn that at a recent Florida fundraiser Senator John McCain utilized taxpayer money for campaign purposes. Specifically, Homewood City Jail inmates provided free labor, setting up tables and chairs.
The McCain campaign was charged $250 to use two rooms in the hall, which normally would book for $1,200 on a weeknight. The campaign also was given free labor from Homewood City Jail inmates to set up tables and chairs for the event, avoiding a $100 set-up fee, but did pay a standard $50 cleaning fee. [emphasis mine]
The reason I say taxpayer money was used for this event is that inmates don't just leave a jail to go do good deeds for a political campaign. Inmates require transportation, presumably from police officers who drive city-owned vehicles. Not only are the salaries of those officers being paid while they supervise the inmates who are working at this political function, but the transportation itself costs money (the vehicle that transported the inmates plus the fuel that operates the vehicle).

John McCain should immediately reimburse the city for all costs associated with his fundraiser, and whoever authorized the use of inmate labor should be immediately reprimanded for using city resources for a political fundraiser. That's against the law in most places, if not everywhere.

Still think John McCain is the poster boy for campaign finance reform and clean elections?

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