SEVEN TEA PARTY Freshmen SPENT More Than $100,000 In TAXPAYER MONEY On Personal Cars [View all]

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TEA-BAG HYPOCRITTERS:




" Though they campaigned on a platform of reducing the deficit and ridding wasteful spending, more than a half-dozen Tea Party congressmen have collectively spent over $100,000 in taxpayer money on personal vehicles.


ThinkProgress examined spending records for the 112th Congress and found seven GOP freshmen — Reps. Chip Cravaack (R-MN), Sean Duffy (R-WI), Bill Flores (R-TX), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Bill Johnson (R-OH), Mike Pompeo (R-KS), and Steve Womack (R-AR) — who had spent an average of $15,000 on cars for themselves. All together, their taxpayer bill totaled $106,643.


There is nothing illegal about the practice of using taxpayer money to lease personal-use cars, but it smacks of hypocrisy for Tea Partiers like Duffy who promised to “lead by example” when it comes to deficit reduction.
Many of the vehicles go beyond a standard sedan. For example, Cravaack is charging taxpayers more than $1,000 a month to pay the lease on his 2011 Chevy Equinox, a crossover SUV with all-wheel drive.


Here’s what the seven Republican freshmen’s congressional offices have spent on cars in the past year and a half:

Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN): $25,580.84

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI): $24,525.00

Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX): $10,997.45

Rep. Cory Gardner (R-CO): $20,978.07

Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH): $4,889.76

Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS): $8,848.00

Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR): $10,746.59


Total: $106,643

http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/07/16/511807/tea-party-car-leases/

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