McCaskill billed, reimbursed taxpayers for flight to political event

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill asks questions on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, July 29, 2010.

/ AP PHOTO

2:49pm ET

Democratic Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill billed taxpayers approximately $1,220 for an airplane trip to a Democratic political event, her spokesperson confirmed CBS News.

Earlier this week, McCaskill wrote a check for more than $88,000 to the Treasury Department, after reports surfaced that she had, over the course of four years, billed to taxpayers $76,000 for 89 flights on a charter plane she co-owns with her husband and other investors.

A spokesperson for the congresswoman, who has throughout her Senate career made a point of pushing for increased government oversight into congressional expenditures of taxpayer dollars, insisted that the flights did not violate any laws or Senate rules. She added, however, that McCaskill was was happy to reimburse the funds for the sake of "the optics of the bigger picture."

The Associated Press notes that while members of Congress often use chartered flights to for business purposes, it is unusual for members to travel professionally in a plane in which they hold a personal stake.

"Senate rules do not specify whether senators can be reimbursed for use of a personal aircraft for official use, although staffers and senators are reimbursed when they use their cars for personal business," writes Henry Jackson of the Associated Press.

McCaskill press secretary Maria Speiser originally maintained that McCaskill's use of the private plane was in accordance with Senate rules. 

"Sen. McCaskill has been very careful flying on taxpayer dollars," Speiser told POLITICO earlier this week. "She has only paid for the use of her plane as required by the Senate rules, and there has been no profit to her or her family. She's glad there's transparency - that's why people can see this information."

"Sen. McCaskill is interested in three things when it comes to using a charter plane to travel in Missouri: doing it as cheaply as possible, following the letter of the law and doing it as rarely as possible," she continued. "However, despite all of this being the case, she understands that the optics of the bigger picture may not seem as cut and dry, so she's more than happy to address that concern as well."

Politico reported on Thursday night, however, that at least one of those flights  - a 2007 trip from St. Louis to Hannibal, MO, and back - was for political purposes -- which would apparently put McCaskill in violation of Congressional ethics rules.  (McCaskill spoke at an annual event for Hannibal's Democratic party.)

Speiser said the trip was likely billed in error and that McCaskill was "embarrassed by the mistake." She also noted that the expenses for the trip had since been reimbursed.

"Sen. McCaskill is embarrassed by this mistake," she said in a statement to CBS News. "Fortunately, all the expenditures related to the plane have already been repaid to the government. Because of the strict disclosure rules for domestic travel, this mistake was uncovered and can be addressed. This flight was reported to the public at the time it occurred, but the mistake was not caught at that time. She thinks there should be public disclosure like this for all flights, including foreign."

The error may come back to haunt McCaskill in what is expected to be a tough 2012 re-election campaign - particularly since she has made a name for herself as pro-reform, pro-oversight candidate.

In unveiling a set of proposals to cut expenses and provide greater oversight on Capitol Hill in February, McCaskill argued that members of Congress should not allowed to make their own rules.

"There's nothing that irritates Americans more than the fact that some members of Congress think they are entitled to their own set of rules," McCaskill said in a statement last February. "Too many people in Washington live in an alternate reality. It's time for that to stop."

Already, Missouri Republican Ed Martin, a potential 2012 opponent, is attempting to capitalize on McCaskill's woes: He has created the website "Air Claire," which depicts a jet superimposed over the Senator's head, and which asks for donations of $89 - "the price of a one-way plane ticket to send her home!"

[drtom312]

08 March 2011
Folks,
Mitch Daniels is, in my opinion, among all of the excellent, qualified-by-executive-experience, Republican candidates for US President in 2012, the best choice for US President. There are, however, several other very close, very excellent choices.
Generally, there are four sources of candidates for US President: (former and current) governors, senators, representatives, and others.
Below is my alphabetical list in each category. My favorite GOP ex-govs are starred.
Governors: Haley Barbour, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Mitch Daniels*, Mike Huckabee*, Bobby Jindhal, Bob McConnell, Sarah Palin*, George Pataki, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney*, Rick Scott, Scott Walker.
Senators: Scott Brown, Sam Brownback, Jim DeMint, Rob Portman, Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum, John Thune, Pat Toomey.
Representatives: Michele Bachman, Eric Cantor, Newt Gingrich, Darrell Issa, Ron Paul, Mike Pence, Paul Ryan.
Other (Honorable Mention): John Bolton (UN Ambassador), Glenn Beck (educator), Rick Santelli (Tea Party Inspiration & businessman).
The defense of the United States of America, the US Constitution, democracy, free markets, and our successful way of life is, by its nature, multi-directional. We need to keep the recently elected Republican young guns and recently re-elected Republican experienced hands in their current positions to fight the fight in the US House of Reps, the US Senate, and the various state governorships.
In the US Presidency, we need a Republican qualified-by-executive-experience to institute policies that follow the US Constitution, and support the free market system, exactly opposite the policies followed by Barak Hussein Obama, a Marxist, who will not even call a terrorist a terrorist.
We need an ex-governor, qualified-by-executive-experience, with a proven history, to balance our budgets, let the economy grow (free of Marxist government central planning), and return America to freedom. Mitch Daniels has done just that in Indiana.
Mitch Daniels is an excellent choice for the next President of the United States.
Tom Johnson
Largo, Florida, USA
PS 13 March 2011
From the St. Petersburg Socialist Times
(The outgoing, Republican governor of Indiana) Mitch Daniels has privatized a state highway, cut the state work force to historic lows, and eliminated bargaining rights for state employee unions. What the SPST (genetically) fails to mention is that (from Wikipedia) Daniels has balanced the budget. He capped property taxes to protect homeowners & raised sales taxes to offset tax revenue loss. The move proved so popular that Daniels was re-elected.

[ammo17]

why did she pay the money back to the government?they are all crooked the democrats more than the republicans.

[NinthSt78]

Let's tell it like it is between the lines. There is no place a politician can go without it being called a political trip.

[ammo17]

what amazes me is the people of this country still think our politicians work for us,no politician in washington d.c.will make a decision unless they they get the ok from a lobbyist.did you ever ask yourself how many poor politicians there are in d.c.we do not have a democracy we have a monarchy.think about it we have a king and queen in the whitehouse,dukes and duchesses in the senate and barons and baronesses in congress.our laws do not pertain to them,they have their own courts and judges.

[payasyougo]

"Earlier this week, McCaskill wrote a check for more than $88,000 to the Treasury Department, after reports surfaced that she had, over the course of four years, billed to taxpayers $76,000 for 89 flights on a charter plane she co-owns with her husband and other investors"
-----

Once again, a politician steals from the taxpayer and then gets to just pay up when caught. Both political parties do it.

[HikerDan]

Ahhhh... Lefties... To the rescue.....

[Mag57]

She has been known as a crook in Missouri for years.

[frankie2fing]

And your facts of this statement are????

[frankie2fing]

(crickets still cirping)

[jackp32]

Could I rob a bank and when I'm caught give the money back and not face criminal charges? But a well positioned Democrat Senate hack can.

[frankie2fing]

No you can not, but please do, you would probably make more sense and help your country by being in prison. She did NOT break the law, legally or in spirit. But she DID reimburse the charges, which is more than any selfish repug has done. Funny, even when the dems work within the law, you repugs have a problem with it. Ole newtie was banging an intern while bringing impeachment against Clinton, all the while touting the 'Families Values' theme. Now he says he cheated on his wife for the good of the Country. And you teabaggers kiss these hypocrits' rear end. And the funny part is they do not even bother to wipe it before you do.
BE AN AMERICAN: STOP VOTING AGAINST YOUR OWN BEST INTERESTS! Let the Country be for, by and of the people, not the corporations.

[ammo17]

gee and i thought she was an honest democrook,wrong again she got caught with her hands in the cookie jar,would she had paid the money back if she did not get caught?i doubt it very much,we have to get these criminal politicians to resign,democrat or republican.damn thieves.

[pbaird2]

There is nothing sinister about using private aircraft for government business. There is a set amount of reimbursement per air-mile for varying types of private aircraft within the federal statutes, as well as each state has similar statutes for state employee reimbursement. Conservation of funds is a major factor when determining the use of private aircraft, but travel time, safety and critical need are also factors. The state reimbursement auditors for each state agency just happen to be more diligent in reviewing claims than the federal auditors have been.

[chatmandu7451]

But should we pay her way to a democrat political event. I'm glad she paid us back. How much are we paying for our "Campaigner-in-Chief" to fly all over the country for his re-election campaign.

[catmomtx]

Oh, I don't know. How much did we pay for George Bush to fly all over the country on his reelection campaign in 2004? We might be paying slightly more though considering the cost of things now as compared to 2004.