Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., has spent more than $100,000 in campaign donations on private jets, luxury hotels, fine wines and limousines, the New York Post is reporting.
Here are how some of those expenditures break down, according to the newspaper, which cited election filings.
- Sinema spent more than $45,000 on chauffeurs since 2019. The cost included paying more than $4,000 in a single day for luxury car services back in December.
- Sinema paid almost $20,000 in campaign funds for wine-related expenses. She spent the money at some exclusive vineyards on the west coast, including Auteur Winery in Sonoma and Argyle Winery in the Willamette Valley.
- Sinema spent almost $10,000 at pricey restaurants like Sketch in London and the Russian Tea Room in New York City. The money also included expenditures at other dining spots in Paris, Miami, and Barcelona.
- Since 2019, Sinema has billed her campaign $35,000 for stays at luxury resorts from California to the Cote D'Azur.
Almost half of her campaign donation came from people associated with three major equity firms during the first quarter of 2023. This comes after Sinema pushed back against a challenge to the "carried interest" loophole that taxes just a handful of private equity and hedge fund profits at a lower rate than other businesses, the Post said.
"It's pretty simple: Kyrsten Sinema delivered an $18 billion gift to private equity executives, and now they're paying her back with campaign donations," said former Sinema staffer Sacha Haworth.
Thomas Jones, president of the American Accountability Foundation told the Post: "Whether it's a technical violation of FEC rules, it's clearly a misuse of donor money. It's either irresponsible or impermissible."
The Post said a spokesperson for Sinema did not respond to a request for comment.
Sinema, who left the Democratic Party in December to become an independent, is being hounded by angry Democrats who want their campaign donations back, the Post previously reported.
The donors were first told her campaign was working on returning money, but now Sinema and her staff are not returning donors' calls, a source told the newspaper.
Sinema reportedly has more than $8 million set aside for her 2024 reelection campaign.
Sinema's decision to switch her political affiliation to independent may well have more impact on her own political livelihood than the operations of the Senate, The Associated Press reported back in December.
At the time, it was noted that she plans to continue her committee positions through the Democrats. Her move came just days after Democrats had expanded their majority to 51-49 for the new year, following the party's runoff election win in Georgia.
In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Sinema had informed him of her decision and asked to keep her committee assignments – effectively keeping her in the Democrat fold.
"Kyrsten is independent; that's how she's always been," Schumer said. "I believe she's a good and effective senator and am looking forward to a productive session in the new Democratic majority Senate."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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