Congresswoman-elect Lauren “Q*Bert” Boebert didn’t even wait until she was sworn-in to office to start her own political grifting operation.
We were perusing the latest campaign finance reports this morning and came across a whopper of an expenditure: A few weeks ago, Boebert wrote herself a check from her campaign account in the amount of $21,199.52 for “mileage reimbursement.”
This is a massive number for mileage reimbursement, but it’s not a total amount. Boebert had already been reimbursed for mileage in March 2020, which brings her total 2020 mileage reimbursement amount to $22,259.14.
Via FEC.gov (Accessed 12/4/20)
In fact, Boebert’s campaign finance reports indicate that the candidate was “reimbursed” for a total of $30,177 in 2020. For comparison’s sake, we looked back at reimbursements to outgoing Rep. Scott Tipton — who Boebert defeated in the June 2020 Primary. Over the last 10 years, Tipton was reimbursed from his campaign account for a grand total of $12,255 (see chart after the jump below).
Via FEC.gov
Let’s go back to just talking about mileage. The current mileage reimbursement rate dictated by the IRS is $0.575 cents per mile, which means that Boebert is claiming to have driven roughly 36,868 miles since April 2020. To put this in perspective, consider that a full-time semi truck driver clocks about 45,000 miles per year; at Boebert’s claimed mileage rate, she would have driven 55,302 miles in 2020. Truck drivers who do nothing else but drive for 8-10 hours a day would have a hard time matching this number.
Rep-elect Lauren Boebert (R-imbursement)
Colorado’s Third Congressional District is a huge area geographically, but that still doesn’t explain such a huge driving expense — particularly when the price of gas is lower than it has been in years. Boebert is saying that she put enough miles on her car — again, just since April — to drive from her home in Rifle to Denver more than 200 times.
To put it another way, Boebert claims she drove far enough in 8 months to have circumnavigated the globe 1.5 times.
Campaign accounts are not slush funds for candidates. This is not the kind of thing that just gets swept under the rug, as former Congressman Duncan Hunter can attest. Unless Boebert can somehow document her exorbitant mileage claims, this would appear to be a pretty cut and dried case of misusing campaign funds.
And Boebert is still a month away from being officially sworn-in as a Member of Congress.
Reimbursements to outgoing Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Cortez) over the course of the last decade:
Via FEC.gov (accessed 12/4/20)
Its not really socialism if she's redistributing the wealth of rubes into her own pocket.
That is very true. The fools and their money soon go separate ways.
Isn’t there some precedent in CD 3 for the candidate reimbursing oneself, or at least placing the spouse on the payroll?
"fleecing the marks……" PT Barnum would be proud.
Scooter put his wife on his campaign staff once.
I assume all our reps got reimbursements. I don't remember anything untoward.
Calamity Jane will shatter all kinds of things.
Anyone who donated money to Boebert's campaign deserves to get fleeced. She is a crook, and she supports a president who has treated his office as a means to collect money.
"particularly when the price of gas is lower than it has been in years." is completely irrelevant and gratuitous here.
Dave is absolutely right. The IRS allowance is the proper one. Two-gun Tootsie's grift is bad enough without irrelevant cheap shots.
You guys are overlooking the expenses of driving so much. A gun-toting, freedom fighter has to eat…and cheese is getting expensive.😉
The government won’t be buying her cheese for a while. The donors won’t mind.
It's Q-berts God given right to burn as much fossil fuel as she wants, or even to not burn it but fleece dupes for it anyway. That's the beauty of American freedom !
And speaking of cheese……or more accurately, the cutting thereof:
Rudy Giuliani is mocked over possible fart at hearing in Michigan (msn.com)
The House is not a greedy old pervert run ripoff center anymore. Speaker Pelosi might have someone looking into this grifter's life by now. Anyone stating they are going to carry on the floor does draw the attention of people.
Over the next two years we will alternate between being mortified, horrified and amused by this imbecile. It is what it is. Not a huge problem as she will inevitably self destruct like a Douglas Bruce rental property.
Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) have indicated they back the effort* as well, and Greene has been publicly lobbying for a senator to join their push.
*Top Pennsylvania Republicans pressure congressional delegation to challenge Biden’s victory
Dozens of Pennsylvania Republican state legislators, including the speaker of the House, are calling on the state’s Republican-heavy congressional delegation to challenge President-elect Joe Biden’s victory when federal lawmakers certify the presidential election Jan. 6.
process affords the power to challenge electors to any two lawmakers — a House member and a senator acting in concert.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/30/republicans-overturn-electoral-college-441459
But Qbert will be dateless for that dance since Hick will be in and Gardner will be out by that time, even though the dance still goes on.
Call me crazy, but maybe start with one?!?!?
How many lawsuits based on the same evidence-free allegations does she have to lose before she crawls back under her rock?
You need a large body of evidence in order to call it "widespread".
So far she has shown no evidence whatsoever.
Seems pretty ripe for a complaint to the FEC.
https://www.fec.gov/legal-resources/enforcement/complaints-process/how-to-file-complaint-with-fec/
To be fair, nobody told her accountant that they couldn't use air miles
why am I not surprised? come on folks, we knew she was borderline moron, with a criminal record…yeah CD3…I suppose that I should start an email campaign with the AG, and with the local newspapers, even tho, I know the death threats will come…She MUST be made to resign…
Trying out the math …
36,868 miles reimbursed; 60 miles per hour = 605.5 hours ; April 1 to November 3 is 217 days; that comes out to 2.83 hours a day, every day. Not an impossible total for an energetic campaigner from Rifle.
Long-haul truckers cover more ground. 200 days of driving a year times 8 hours, times 60 mph is 96,000 miles. Before computerized record keeping, one friend said he had a couple of years of driving over 100,000 driving miles per year.
next year, comparing political reports to personal income taxes filed ought to provide some interesting reading for those who with accounting savvy.