Posted in HCG...no need to argue about it in GDP

[Sancho]

http://www.politicade.com/confirmed-bernie-sanders-illegally-used-campaign-funds-for-overnight-trip-to-italy/

Confirmed: Bernie Sanders Illegally Used Campaign Funds For Overnight Trip To Italy

Presidential Campaign Finance Reports, which include receipts and disbursements for the month of April, have been in ’processing’ status since they were submitted to the FEC on 5/20. Yesterday, the FEC made the detailed campaign finance reports available to the public.

We can now confirm that Bernie Sanders illegally spent over a half million dollars in campaign funds on private air travel and luxury hotels for his non-campaign related trip to Italy. To learn why this is an illegal use of campaign finances, see our previous article on this topic:

http://www.politicade.com/did-bernie-sanders-illegally-use-campaign-funds-to-take-family-to-italy/

Bernie Sanders has been under Federal Election Commission (FEC) investigation for months due to numerous campaign finance violations. In the most recent FEC letter to the Sanders Campaign dated 3/30, Sanders is warned of an audit if his campaign does not provide requested details by the deadline of 5/4. (FEC letters: 2/11, 2/25, 3/30)

Campaign Finance Laws clearly state that candidates are prohibited from using campaign funds to finance non-campaign related trips or vacations. Campaign Finance loopholes were closed in recent decades due to rampant abuse. Politicians were using leftover campaign funds to purchase luxurious personal items like cars, designer clothing, Super Bowl tickets, real estate, and vacations. There have been ongoing reports of campaign funds being used to provide lucrative salaries to family members who “worked” on campaigns.

In 1979, Congress barred the use of campaign funds for personal use, but because ‘personal use’ was not clearly defined, politicians continued to use campaign funds for personal items. In 1995, the FEC added campaign finance regulations that defined personal use as follows: “…any use of funds in a campaign account of a present or former candidate to fulfill a commitment, obligation or expense of any person that would exist irrespective of the candidate’s campaign or responsibilities as a Federal officeholder.”

[CrowCityDem]

1. Poor St Bernard, another victim of the Catholic Church.

[BobbyDrake]

10. On the ironic side, we can start crowing about HIS impending indictment now...

...if we so choose.

[lunamagica]

2. So much for "purity" "integrity" and "honesty". At his age, and with his decades in congress, he had

to know that spending funds this way was illegal.

[BobbyDrake]

9. Well, unless his "principles" were more exaggerated than we ever suspected, that is.

I'm not surprised at all that someone like Bernie Sanders, who wielded his self-serving purity like a club against his colleagues for 26 years, didn't actually bother finding out what the real rules actually were. After all, he already knows everything, no one can teach him anything, and he's never, ever wrong. At least, in his own mind, he's not.

[LAS14]

3. Aha!!! I raised this question at the time. Didn't get any...

...takers for it as a possible scandal.

[pandr32]

4. Am not surprised at all!

There was obviously an attempt to jerry-rig the trip to claim a legitimate campaign related reason to go, but I am afraid it was just too clownish and internationally embarrassing. Sorry Bern, but you have to pay for your own political stunt as well as the holiday for your entire extended family.

[George II]

5. He should have consulted Chris Christie before he made the trip - Christie got in trouble....

....for accepting a free trip (or trips) to Dallas for football games.

$500,000 is roughly the Sanders' net worth based on Bernie's last Personal Financial Disclosure (from 2015)

[Walk away]

17. Ha ha! Not anymore!

[George II]

6. So where is all the clamor in GD-P for Sanders to be indicted?

[liberal N proud]

7. No! Not Saint Bernie

Everything he does is perfect and golden.

He is the savior of the world, he will be nominated and Trump will run from him. His election/ coronation will be unanimous then everything will be free and Wal Street will be closed.

Utopia!

?w=620&h=387

[shadowandblossom]

8. HAHAHAHAHA

[shadowandblossom]

11. Private air travel is insufficiently pure for Senator Sander's he rode

his private steed.

[stonecutter357]

12. K&R!

[beachbum bob]

13. he probably should quit the campaign as this as illegal as it gets with campaign funds

indictments will be coming

[Walk away]

16. Someone should let Jane know that the FBI is hurrying up already!!!

[sheshe2]

21. Ouch!

[sarae]

14. It wouldn't make sense to nominate a candidate who might be indicted.

[beachbum bob]

18. NICE

illegal use of campaign funds are taken seriously...and people go to prison and have huge fines


bernies typica lexcuse will be the FEC rules are rigged....or they were too HARD to understand

[sarae]

24. Exactly!

Illegally using campaign funds vs. a private email server...which one sounds worse to you? I would be PISSED to hear that the money I'd sent was used for a fancy trip to Italy, especially if I were living paycheck to paycheck and misled to believe my candidate had a real chance at the nomination.

Normally I wouldn't crow about this, but when people have gotten on Hillary's case for far less it's hard not to.

[beachbum bob]

25. email server not in itself a crime...neither are emails by fraud is and be fitting it sanders is

charged with fraud

[sarae]

27. But...but...

Susan Sarandon said Hillary will be indicted any day now!

[Walk away]

15. Did the Pope turn him in??? Can we see his taxes now???

Didn't he take 10 family members with him? A half a million dollars scam right in front of the entire world and the Pope!

He's going to have to pay that back. I hope his followers are ready with their $27.

[George II]

20. $600,000 is roughly 222,222 contributions of $27 each.

[sheshe2]

22. Here is where they stayed.

Nice digs~ Hotel Bosclo Exedra Roma

[Koinos]

23. It's okay. Only 222,222 supporters will be asked to skip their lunch and dinner to send $27.

As George Orwell wrote, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

Leaders can do no wrong, and they deserve a larger share than everyone else. Their families get the Vatican, and the rest get Ramen.

[quickesst]

19. I almost look at Bernie Sanders...

..... like a puppet these days with his campaign managers and supporters pulling the strings. Hard to watch him speak anymore and take him seriously.

[Her Sister]

26. So glad we know before the last last voting is done!

Awesome we know before!

Did not see this OP so posted too!

[fleabiscuit]

28. Magic 8-ball sees a BS go-fund-me in the future. nt

[Her Sister]

29. Plurality of Sanders Donations Come From Jobless

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2016/06/03/plurality-of-sanders-donations-come-from-jobless.html

More than one-fourth of Democratic presidential nominee Bernie Sanders’ campaign contributions come from the jobless, a plurality, as the Los Angeles Times reports. Campaigns are not required to publicize the names of those who give $200 or less, so not much has been known about many of Sanders’s donors. But the newspaper now reports that of the $209 million given to the Vermont senator’s campaign, about one out of every four dollars—28.6 percent—came from those not in the workforce, including the unemployed or retired. And of all the states in the nation, Californians have contributed the most, donating more than $36 million to his campaign.

[KewlKat]

30. so, will the media

bring this out for discussion?

[Cha]

31. What were they Thinking? Or were they?! Desperation? Votes in New YOrk?! WHAT?!!!!!!

I was just on a jury for beachbum bob talking about this in gdp.. we gave it a 6-1 LEAVE.

Gracias, Sancho~

[Her Sister]

32. What! Why? This is newsworthy! As much as people really want to act like it's not!

Geesh! They want to HIDE this!?

[Cha]

33. Oh yeah, it came under the heading of trying to "swift boat" a dem...

[Her Sister]

34. Awwwwwwww!

They're just so obvious, aren't they?

[Tarheel_Dem]

35. Maybe this is divine retribution for BS trying to revive an issue that he formerly said he.....

and the American people were "sick of hearing about".

[Thinkingabout]

36. Spending campaign money without a return in votes.

[Surya Gayatri]

38. That's it. Time to convoke the Grand Jury. Indictment in the offing.