Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) isn’t running for reelection, but campaign finance records show she has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash on travel.
In total, her campaign spent more than $650,000 between July 1 and Sept. 30, including $216,000 on travel and $152,000 on security-related expenses. While the campaign finance report does not detail exactly where she went or the purpose of her travel, her previous travel habits have sparked ethical complaints from critics.
The campaign spent $50,000 on airfare alone during that time. She spent almost $71,000 on hotels in California and Arizona, as well as hotels abroad, including the luxury Tokyo Edition Hotel in Japan, the five-star Nobu Hotel London Portman Square, and the Castel de Très Girard in France, according to KJZZ Phoenix.
Sinema also stayed at the Grand Hotel at the Grand Canyon, Rosewood Sand Hill in California’s Silicon Valley, the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City, Utah, and the St. Regis Aspen Resort in Colorado. In Bethesda, Maryland, her campaign spent more than $7,500 on a Marriott Hotel
Some of her recent travels have been documented, although it is unknown exactly if she used her campaign funds on said recent travel.
In July, a social media post from Tokyo-based Astroscale, a company that provides services for the sustainable development of space, suggested Sinema visited the country in some capacity.
“We’re honored to have hosted U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona at our Tokyo headquarters!” the company posted. “With the ORBITS Act of 2023 passing the Senate last November, it was inspiring to see her enthusiasm for advancing the safety, stability, security, and long-term sustainability of space.”
Sinema was a co-sponsor of the ORBITS Act of 2023, which has been stalled in the House and will likely not become law by the end of the year.
She recently traveled to Paris for the Summer Olympics. In an interview with Arizona State University’s Cronkite News in France at the time, Sinema said she was “honored” to be there.
“I’m just so honored and privileged to be a part of an incredible event,” she said. “It’s really just a privilege to be here.”
She spent $1809.48 on an American Airlines flight in July and more than $10,000 on another American Airlines flight in August. The report shows she is also a frequent purchaser of in-flight Wi-Fi, for which one purchase costs nearly $60.
She traveled to France again this summer, in June, for official business. Sinema was in Normandy for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied forces’ invasion of France, in her capacity as the chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans’ Affairs.
In total, Sinema’s campaign spent $21,000 on meals and catering, including $1,300 at Nobu in Tokyo and $1,100 at Jardin d’Hiver in Paris.
Her campaign spent $4,500 in London on lodging, a car service, meetings, and food. In Europe, Sinema spent $800 on train tickets from a German-based company, but it is unclear if she traveled to Germany, too.
She also spent $431 on a Milwaukee Brewers vs. Washington Nationals game in Washington, D.C., this year.
Eric Petry, counsel in the Brennan Center’s Elections and Government program, told the Arizona Republic that Federal Election Commission rules allow her campaign to foot the bill for travel and security expenses for items that are connected to her official duties.
“Part of the problem here is lax enforcement by the FEC. Even though there are pretty strict rules about using campaign funds for personal use, it can be very difficult to parse out when a violation has actually occurred,” Petry said.
“You have to look at the details. … You end up in these scenarios where things just seem a little off. But at the end of the day, the chance of effective enforcement at the FEC is very low, and a lot of candidates or campaigns know that,” he continued.
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Sinema’s campaign ended the quarter with nearly $5 million in cash on hand. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Republican Kari Lake are running to replace Sinema.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Sinema’s office for comment but did not receive a response.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
