There was a knock at the door. Christine O’Donnell looked through the peep hole and saw the landlord standing outside. She was behind on her rent, so she knew the reason for his visit. She smiled to herself and opened the door. The landlord walked in, an irritated look on his face because he doesn’t understand what her smiling was all about. Didn’t she know she was behind on her rent?
Christine O'Donnell
“Wait here,” Christine could have said as she disappeared into the bedroom. The landlord stands by the door to the apartment hoping she’ll come back with his money. A few moments later, Christine emerges with an envelope. She walks up to the landlord and stood a few feet in front of him. His eyes lowered to the envelope in her hands and then back to look her in her face. She was still smiling.
Without any words, Christine turned over the envelope and the landlord looks down at it again. This time, he makes out what was written on it. “Campaign Funds.”
He looked back to Christine, but it was too late. She was already digging into the envelope, still smiling, and handed him the money. He took it, shrugged his shoulders, and turned to the door. As he exited, he wondered if this was right. Wasn’t there some ethics violation going on here? The door closed behind him as he walked to his car.
“Oh well,” he thought, “I got my rent now.” He opened the door to his car, started the engine and disappeared down the street.
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Okay, no one was there, so no one really know exactly how it went down, but the facts remained true. Christine O’Donnell used campaign funds to pay her rent.
This is story was reported by AP – Ben Evans with contributor Associated Press Writer Jessica Gresko.
“O’Donnell’s financial past includes a tax lien from the IRS, a lawsuit from the university she attended over unpaid bills and a foreclosure action that she avoided by selling her house to her former campaign attorney before a sheriff’s auction.
She acknowledges using campaign money to pay part of the rent on her current town house. Her attorney maintains someone with the Federal Election Commission approved the arrangement, although the commission’s rules say candidates can’t use campaign money for their mortgage or rent “even if part of the residence is being used by the campaign.”
CBS Reports that a watch-dog group called CREW – Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington – calls Christine O’Donnell a “criminal,” for using over $20,000 of campaign funds for personal use. The report states:
“Christine O’Donnell is clearly a criminal, and like any crook she should be prosecuted,” CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan said in a release. “Ms. O’Donnell has spent years embezzling money from her campaign to cover her personal expenses. Republicans and Democrats don’t agree on much these days, but both sides should agree on one point: thieves belong in jail not the United States Senate.”
CREW is requesting that the U.S. Attorney’s office in Delaware open a criminal investigation and asking the Federal Election Commission to audit O’Donnell’s campaign expenses.
I wonder if the landlord already spent the funds…hmmm!
Related articles
- Christine O’Donnell Is A ‘Criminal,’ Claims Watchdog Group (abcnews.go.com)
- DE-Sen: Watchdog: Christine O’Donnell “Clearly a Criminal” (dailykos.com)
- Watchdog: ‘Christine O’Donnell is clearly a criminal’ (crooksandliars.com)
