Last week was dominated by the news of Alison Lundergan Grimes’ bus troubles. As first reported by POLITICO:
Grimes Has “Barnstormed Kentucky” In A Shiny Campaign Bus Rented To Her From Her Father’s Company “For A Fraction Of What Other Companies Would Charge.” “Her father’s company acquired the bus just as the campaign got underway last year — and is renting it to his daughter for a fraction of what other companies would typically charge, according to a POLITICO analysis. Federal campaign finance law bars a campaign from receiving goods and services below the fair market value from a corporation, regardless of whether it is owned by a family member.” (Politico, 8/19/14)
And despite a very apparent scrambling of the campaign to soften the blow, which included lying to reporters about whether or not costs included fuel…
The Courier-Journal Reported That The Grimes Campaign Payments For The Bus Were For “Bus Rental And Gasoline Fees”. “Politico reviewed Grimes’ campaign finance reports and found that the campaign paid Signature Special Event Services, which is owned by Lundergan, less than $11,000 for bus rental and gasoline fees to use the bus on at least 24 days from when she entered the race last year though June.” (Courier-Journal, 8/20/14)
Now, The Grimes Campaign Says Their Campaign Bus Costs $180 A Day, With Fuel Not Included. “Later Thursday, Norton told the Herald-Leader that the campaign’s contract with Signature Special Event Services calls for paying the company a daily rate of $180 for the bus and $200 for a driver, with fuel costs paid separately. When asked to provide a copy of the contract, Norton said she couldn’t without approval from the campaign’s legal staff.” (Herald-Leader, 8/21/14)
…the questions didn’t stop. And Grimes doubled down, refusing to acknowledge a major problem facing her campaign:
Grimes Has “Full Confidence” In Her Campaign, Despite The Fact That They Lied To Reporters. “Grimes, who is Kentucky’s secretary of state, responded by saying she had “full confidence” in her campaign-finance compliance team and dismissed the questions as “baseless, unfounded, bullying accusations from the McConnell campaign.”” (Herald-Leader, 8/21/14)
So now that Alison Lundergan Grimes is facing a very serious FEC complaint alleging that her campaign bus is a massive illegal corporate contribution, the question is: Will she bring her bus to the Red White and Blue Picnic today in Western Kentucky?
BACKGROUND:
Kentucky GOP Files FEC Complaint Against Grimes Campaign. “The Republican Party of Kentucky has submitted a complaint to the Federal Election Commission alleging Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes accepted prohibited campaign donations from her father’s company. The complaint was hand delivered to the FEC Friday morning. It alleges Signature Special Event Services, owned by Grimes’ father Jerry Lundergan, purchased a touring bus and then leased it to Grimes campaign at below market rates. Federal law bars companies from giving gifts to campaigns.” (Associated Press, 8/22/14)
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