Junior Florida Republican Party staffer had $1.3 million charged to party credit card

[babylonsister]

Some fiscal restraint here. Makes me wonder about other states and credit cards. :think:

Junior Florida Republican Party staffer had $1.3 million charged to party credit card

By Adam C. Smith, Times Political Editor
In Print: Saturday, April 10, 2010


She was a 25-year-old junior staffer when the Florida Republican Party gave her an American Express card.

Over the next 2½ years, nearly $1.3 million in charges wound up on Melanie Phister's AmEx — $40,000 at a London hotel, and nearly $20,000 in plane tickets for indicted former House Speaker Ray Sansom, his wife and kids, for starters. Statements show thousands spent on jewelry, sporting goods and in one case $15,000 for what's listed as a month-long stay at a posh Miami Beach hotel, but which the party says was a forfeited deposit.

The credit card records, obtained by the St. Petersburg Times and Miami Herald, offer the latest behind-the-scenes look at extravagant and free-wheeling spending by the party touting fiscal restraint. Not only did certain elite legislative leaders have their own party credit cards to spend donors' money with little oversight, but Phister's records show these leaders also liberally used an underling's card — without her knowledge, she says.

"I did not have the sole discretion to initiate credit card spending," Phister said in an e-mail statement. "Over that period of time, there were multiple instances when the card was used to make purchases that I had no knowledge of, and I did not regularly review the monthly credit card statements which I understand were sent directly to the Party's accounting office."

Even after a series of embarrassing revelations over profligate credit card spending by the likes of Republican U.S. Senate frontrunner Marco Rubio, Sansom and incoming House Speaker Dean Cannon — and pending state and federal investigations of party finances — revelations of the huge charges on Phister's card had veteran GOP fundraisers apoplectic.

more...

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/junior-florida-republican-party-staffer-had-13-million-charged-to-party/1086335

[SoCalDem]

1. Maybe they thought it was a "part-taaay" card

:rofl:

[joeybee12]

2. Eh, ONLY 1.3 million? She's an amateur...n/t

[peekaloo]

5. That's why she's billed as a "junior".

;-)

[joeybee12]

6. Aha!

Now i understand! }(

[malaise]

3. Rubio is going down with the profligate spending

Get the popcorn.

[peekaloo]

4. believe it or not

those supporting this fascist don't give a shit because he is viewed as being a Washington "outsider".

Florida is a scary place these days.

[Hubert Flottz]

7. Let The Young Eagle Soar with their platinum cards down to the

local Liquor store,
:bounce:
And buy a couple of cases more, they must spread their golden wings,
To soar to the Rivera among other things,
Oh let the Young Eagles Swing, and come back home loaded with their golden bling galore,
The dumb ass pubbie faithful will be sending plenty more,
So let them Young Eagles soar and soar and sore.

:bounce:
Repeat Chorus

[peekaloo]

8. !

:patriot:

:hi:

[babylonsister]

10. LOL! Love it! nt

[Hubert Flottz]

13. So let them Young Eagles Soar,

:bounce:

I wish I could afford stuff down at the freakin' grocery store,
But I can't 'cause I need my damned prescriptions filled once more,
And further subsidize Young Eagles and those they're always pimping for,
I guess I might as well give up and just become a whore,
Fuc*it let the Fuc*ing Young Eagles score and score and sore some more.

:bounce:

Repeat Chorus

Edit...Daa Daa Daa Daa Daa DaaaaaaDaaDaa!

[Old and In the Way]

14. + A lot

You might have a career writing lyrics, Hubert. :rofl:

[malaise]

9. Well they aren't the brightest bulbs in the house

but even they should know that if you're blowing the donors' money then the taxpayers will be fugged inside out.

[peekaloo]

11. The Oliver (All over) Twisted party.

as long as their "leaders" counter that nasty totalitarian socialist Obama they'll keep begging for another kick in the teef.

[Hubert Flottz]

12. The democrats need to give the GOPers a

"Roland for their Oliver"

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/42/messages/938.html

[Old and In the Way]

15. So when does the Republican Party get prosecuted under RICO?

I think Organized Crime is operating under cover of the GOP. How stupid does one have to be, not to see who put the 'con' in conservativism?

[Stevenmarc]

16. Only $1.3 million obviously not the card they use for hookers

[MiniMe]

17. What did they expect from a Party Staffer?

:shrug: :rofl: