{"id":2373626,"date":"2024-11-26T11:23:01","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T16:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-pick-sean-duffy-paid-ritz-tabs-with-campaign-cash-records-show\/"},"modified":"2024-11-26T11:26:01","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T16:26:01","slug":"trump-pick-sean-duffy-paid-ritz-tabs-with-campaign-cash-records-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-pick-sean-duffy-paid-ritz-tabs-with-campaign-cash-records-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump pick Sean Duffy paid Ritz tabs with campaign cash, records show"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-pick-sean-duffy-paid-ritz-tabs-with-campaign-cash-records-show%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2373626&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Sean Duffy, President-elect Donald Trump&#8217;s nominee for \u200ctransportation secretary, \u2064has been reported to have used funds from his old\u2063 campaign account to cover expenses at\u200d the\u200d Ritz-Carlton hotel. Financial records indicate that Duffy wrote a check for $5,700 in \u200cMarch for &#8220;travel,&#8221; and made \u2063additional\u200d payments totaling approximately\u200d $6,200 in 2020 and\u200b 2021 for similar reasons. His campaign committee \u2064reportedly had around \u2063$2 million as of October.<\/p>\n<p>Duffy&#8217;s spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, \u2064downplayed \u2064the \u200dissue, stating that it was a &#8220;non-story.&#8221; However, \u200dthe payments may become a\u200d focal point\u200d during his confirmation hearings, particularly \u200camong Democrats\u2062 who might want to \u2063<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">highlight potential ethics concerns \u200ctied<\/a> to Trump&#8217;s\u2063 appointees. While former\u200c lawmakers can \u200duse campaign\u200c funds for specific purposes, they are prohibited from using them\u2064 for personal expenses, and\u2063 violations have previously resulted in fines from\u2062 the\u2063 Federal Election Commission (FEC).<\/p>\n<p>Experts have noted that \u2063the use of campaign funds by past officials for personal or unofficial purposes is not\u200d permissible, raising questions about the legitimacy\u2063 of Duffy&#8217;s transactions. Duffy served in Congress from 2011 to 2019 before\u2062 transitioning to lobbying and co-hosting on Fox News.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Trump Cabinet pick Sean Duffy paid Ritz-Carlton tabs with old campaign funds<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1894453\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President-elect Donald Trump&rsquo;s pick for transportation secretary, former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">congressman<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/sean-duffy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Sean Duffy<\/a>, recently dipped into old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/campaign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">campaign<\/a> funds to pay expenses at the Ritz-Carlton hotel giant, records show.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Duffy disclosed having around $2 million in his campaign committee as of October, <em>Bloomberg Government<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/news.bgov.com\/bloomberg-government-news\/trump-pick-duffy-dipped-into-old-campaign-cash-to-pay-ritz-tabs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">reported<\/a>. The ex-Wisconsin House member cut a $5,700 check in March from his campaign to the Ritz-Carlton for &ldquo;travel,&rdquo; which preceded payments totaling around $6,200 combined in 2020 and 2021 there for the same earmarked reason, according to Federal Election Commission filings.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Sean Duffy will be a phenomenal Secretary of Transportation,&rdquo; said Karoline Leavitt, the spokeswoman for the Trump transition. &ldquo;This is a non-story.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, news of the payments could provide ammunition during Duffy&rsquo;s confirmation hearings for Democrats eager to link Trump&rsquo;s nominees to alleged ethics issues. Former lawmakers such as Duffy are allowed to use campaign funds to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/major-texas-city-being-sued-over-taxpayer-funded-effort-to-bypass-abortion-ban\/\" title=\"Texas city sued over taxpayer-funded effort to bypass abortion ban.\">support nonprofit groups<\/a>, political parties, and other candidates, but they are prohibited from using any funds for personal use.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Several former members have been fined by the FEC for using excess campaign funds to pay for personal travel,&rdquo; Brett Kappel, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/despite-email-promises-pelosi-did-not-match-campaign-donations\/\" title=\"Despite Email Promises, Pelosi Did Not Match Campaign Donations\">campaign finance attorney<\/a> in Washington, D.C., told the news outlet.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Donald Trump, jokes with, from left, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) and Rep. Peter King (R-NY) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Feb. 14, 2017, after the president signed House Joint Resolution 41. (AP Photo\/Evan Vucci)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;Using campaign funds to pay for travel or meals or various other charges in connection with a campaign or official duties would not be permitted for someone long after they&rsquo;ve left office because they are no longer serving or seeking elected office,&rdquo; said Saurav Ghosh, who directs the federal campaign finance reform program at the Campaign Legal Center, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fox-asks-dominion-voting-to-probe-leaks-of-tucker-carlson-messages\/\" title=\"Fox wants Dominion Voting to investigate Tucker Carlson message leaks.\">left-leaning watchdog group<\/a>. &ldquo;The nexus that&rsquo;s required to use campaign funds simply isn&rsquo;t there.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Duffy served in Congress from 2011 to 2019, before heading to K Street to lobby and also becoming a co-host on Fox News. At least one of Duffy&rsquo;s Ritz-Carlton bills was for him to attend a fundraising retreat hosted by the National Republican Congressional Committee, according to Lee Goodman, a former FEC chairman who was made available for an interview arranged by the Trump transition.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The dollar figures at issue here are not large, and the circumstances are all defensible,&rdquo; said Goodman. The attorney added that &ldquo;even if there were questions about personal use,&rdquo; he is &ldquo;certain the Federal Election Commission would not pursue enforcement action over them.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Dan Backer, a Republican campaign finance attorney, views the scrutiny of the Ritz-Carlton payments as unserious.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is a particularly desperate attempt by Democrats to pass off a White Castle nothing burger as prime porterhouse, but, all too typically, it&rsquo;s just a little bit of sizzle and no substance,&rdquo; Backer told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Duffy was recently a member of the advisory board for BGR Group, a lobbying firm that he joined in 2019. His clients, among others, have included S&amp;P Global and Gramercy Funds Management, an investment group based in the ultra-wealthy town of Greenwich, Connecticut.<\/p>\n<p>Duffy, 53, also served as the district attorney of Ashland County, Wisconsin, from 2002 to 2008.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1894453\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1894453\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sean Duffy, Trump&#8217;s transport secretary pick, used campaign funds for Ritz-Carlton expenses<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2373627,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/rollcallpix111050-sean-duffy-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[33926,45268,3634],"class_list":["post-2373626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-campaign-finance","tag-sean-duffy","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/rollcallpix111050-sean-duffy-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2373626"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373626\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2373630,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373626\/revisions\/2373630"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2373627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2373626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2373626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2373626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}