Perry campaign's use of private jet questioned

Texas Gov. Rick Perry's campaign is facing questions about whether it properly reimbursed Texas businessman Brian D. Pardo for use of his Cessna Citation X business jet during the first two weeks of Perry's presidential run.

According to an investigation by the New York Times, the campaign paid Pardo about $21,000 for flights totaling nine hours in the air, a figure that would have been up to three times more expensive had the campaign rented an equivalent plane from a private charter company. Perry's campaign told the Times they calculated the cost based on the the percentage of seats used by campaign officials instead of the full cost of the flight.

But Federal Election Commission regulations generally require presidential campaigns to reimburse private jet owners for whatever the full cost of the flight would have been had they chartered from a private company. In effect, Perry might have received an under-reported campaign contribution from Pardo by not paying the full cost.

After the Times investigation began, Bill Canfield, who serves as the outside general counsel for the Perry campaign, said they will reopen the issue and seek the opinion of a lawyer with campaign law and aviation experience. "Depending upon the advice of that counsel, the campaign will, of course, amend its FEC report, should that be required," he told the Times.

A spokesman for the Perry campaign did not immediately respond to request for comment on the article.

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