Does Kerry's Expense Account Pass the Smell Test?

Kerry's expenses: That's the tickets

By Andrew Miga
Wednesday, May 4, 2005

WASHINGTON - Sen. John F. Kerry tapped campaign funds for Red Sox tickets and to pay nearly $300 in overdue Boston parking tickets in March, records show.

Kerry's Senate campaign committee wrote a $287 check to the City of Boston Parking Clerk on March 31, 2005. The Bay State senator listed "travel expense" as the purpose for the expenditure.

Kerry leased a car for campaign-related travel in Massachusetts that was cited for about a half-dozen parking tickets in Boston.

Most of the tickets were issued in October and November 2003 and not paid until more than 15 months later in March 2005 after accruing penalty fees.

"They were leftover tickets we only found out about when we closed out the lease," Kerry spokeswoman Jenny Backus said. "The car was used for the Senate campaign by staffers and volunteers."

Kerry, meanwhile, used presidential campaign funds for a $3,150 tab for Boston Red Sox tickets in July when he threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park before the Democratic National Convention.

A Federal Election Commission spokesman said congressmen are entitled to pay for parking tickets and other expenses from their campaign funds as long as they were "campaign-related."

Other members of the Bay State congressional delegation also reported some novel spending this year.

U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-South Boston) spent $1,231 on makeup services during a two-week stretch in March, according to his most recent FEC report.

"Congresssman Lynch had a pretty intensive round of TV interviews due to the baseball steroid hearings, the Big Dig hearings and his Iraq trip," Lynch spokesman Matt Ferraguto said.
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Think twice before you make contributions to John Kerry.

His campaign has staffers and volunteers who believe they can violate parking restrictions. When ticketed, his campaign ignores the fines and penalties are added.

Over $3000 at Fenway seems pretty steep for one game, doesn't it? That would buy a lot of peanuts.

As far as Rep. Stephen Lynch goes, I don't know which is more embarrassing--revealing that campaign funds were used for over $1200 worth of makeup within two weeks or a man needing that much makeup to look presentable.

Did he have his hair cut by Christophe, the guy who gave Clinton the $200 haircut on the tarmac of LAX?