Sarah Palin’s PAC Is Spending More on Hotels and Travel Than on Republican Candidates

[KansDem]

Palin’s PAC has never given more than a small fraction of its income away to the Republicans it supports. Its recent pitches to potential donors, however, suggest that a contributor’s cash will be used to “fight against the liberals like Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders,” or “stop the illegal invasion,” or help “defund and investigate Planned Parenthood.” “Congress can squash a bad Iran deal and it’s time to let them know how you feel!” reads a SarahPAC email sent to supporters on July 14. “Donate $15 so we can use our influence to stop this bad deal! … Donate now to crush this BAD IRAN DEAL!”

People identifying as retirees composed the majority of SarahPAC’s major donors—those giving more than $200—during 2015, federal records show.

But major donors aren’t the driving force behind Sarah PAC: More than three-fourths of the money it raised from January to June came from people giving $200 or less.

Slate

Some of the top recent SarahPAC expenditures have included:

$230,250 on consultants, including $80,500 to longtime aide and PAC treasurer Timothy Crawford
$139,932 on direct mail, produced by conservative fundraising firm HSP Direct
$128,482 on postage, printing, and related supplies
$82,213 on travel and accommodations, including airfare, hotels, car and SUV rentals, travel agents, and taxis. The Waldorf Astoria in New York City ($4,562) and Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas ($797) were two particularly pricy line items. The $3,854 SarahPAC paid a New York–based limousine company came on Feb. 19, right after Palin appeared at the staging of Saturday Night Live’s 40th anniversary special, where she sat in the audience next to musician Taylor Swift.
$48,000 on speech writing, mostly to Aries Petra Consulting, a small limited liability company registered in Virginia and based in Los Angeles
$37,354 on Internet fundraising through Austin, Texas–based Harris Media LLC, which works for numerous conservative politicians
Yet, during the first half of 2015, SarahPAC only spent $25,000 on candidate contributions—less than 4 percent of its overall expenditures.

Conservative Republican Reps. Louie Gohmert, Trey Gowdy, Raúl Labrador, and Ted Yoho are among the 43 candidates to receive SarahPAC cash so far this year, with most getting $500. The per-election federal limit is $2,700.

[spanone]

1. grifter

grifter....A grifter is a con artist: someone who swindles people out of money through fraud.

[Vinca]

2. And she's the supreme grifter.

[Adrahil]

12. Oh yes. And the marks are happy to comply. nt

[arcane1]

3. As I am fond of saying, Super-PACs are the best legal money-laundering scam out there n/t

[CrispyQ]

16. This. ^^^

We're never getting money out of politics.

[AZ Progressive]

4. She's just being a typical Republican

Republicans are the party of con-artists.

[world wide wally]

5. Good

At least she is stealing from Republicans

[louis-t]

6. And the rubes line up to give her their money.

Wait...she PAID $48,000 for speech writing?

[Gothmog]

7. The Grifter is ripping off her supporters

[Snotcicles]

8. She has brand recognition!

So does Preparation H.

[UTUSN]

10. R#5 & K n/t

[Contrary1]

11. Sarah: The grift that keeps on takin'

Fine by me that very little goes to the candidates. I hope her donors keep it up.

[11 Bravo]

13. Grifters gotta grift.

[DefenseLawyer]

14. I smell a sequel

[Blue Owl]

15. The rolling menace

n/t