Obama Campaign Spending Report Incomplete

[Tellurian]

Obama Campaign Spending Report Incomplete

By JEFF ZELENY

Published: October 18, 2007

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 — In his third-quarter financial report filed this week with the Federal Election Commission, Senator Barack Obama did not provide a full accounting for where his campaign had spent money on travel, catering or a variety of other expenses.

The report filed late Monday shows dozens of payments to credit card companies that were not accompanied by a specific explanation of what the money was spent on. As much as $1.2 million in credit card charges in July, August and September did not contain detailed information of hotels, airfare and campaign expenditures.

Campaigns are required to provide detailed information for any payments exceeding $200 to a business or individual in a year, said Robert Biersack, a spokesman for the F.E.C.

Bill Burton, a campaign spokesman, said a corrected report would be filed with the Federal Election Commission. “I don’t think one observer of politics would be surprised to see a candidate amend their F.E.C. report as every candidate has done,” he said Wednesday. “Ours will be amended in short order.”

The Obama report, which was filed minutes before the Monday deadline, did not provide detailed spending in Iowa, New Hampshire and other states.

In the second quarter of the year, for example, the Obama campaign reported spending $52,000 on hotels in Iowa, but in the last three months, the campaign listed only $398. While the campaign reported spending about $300,000 in commercial air travel in the second quarter, the third-quarter report listed only about $70,000.

Mr. Biersack, the F.E.C. spokesman, said penalties are not typically assessed when reports are quickly amended.

“The reports are supposed to be complete, and you are attesting to that when you file them,” he said Wednesday. “But amendments are filed all the time.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/18/us/politics/18obama.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=politics&adxnnlx=1192705571-tVkwnOW5dhd6Hez2Je+gJg

....something stinks about the accuracy of Obama's campaign finance report. It looks like they adjusted the expense total to project a higher income total.. Was this the reason for the urgent e-mail sent out by the Obama Camp on Tuesday begging donors to send money?

[Tellurian]

1. So, Obama may have "overstated" Funds raised ?

what a surprise!

:rofl:

[MannyGoldstein]

2. The Money Probably Went To Fund Neo-Nazi Groups

Sweet Jesus, you've broken this case wide open!

:rofl:

[GDAEx2]

3. That does it, I'm voting for Hillary...

NOT!

:rofl:

[MethuenProgressive]

4. "$1.2 million in credit card charges in July, August and September"

What's in *your* wallet, Barack?
:rofl:

[Tellurian]

5. Burton and Axelrod gave themselves unauthorized bonuses perhaps?

Lesee, $53,000 - $398 = $52,602 divided by 2 = $26,301 ea.

for all their hard work? Such a deal!

:rofl:

[Vickers]

6. That's it, I'm voting Republican.

:sarcasm:

[cobalt1999]

7. Sounds like they need a good tracking software

In this day and age of computer records (especially with credit card purchases), this should be a simple matter of printing a report. Maybe he'll use some of that cash to upgrade his organization infrastructure.

[Igel]

9. Really.

No need to assume malfeasance or deception (or anything else of a moral nature) when simple bungling and inefficiency accounts for the data in an elegant way.

Been there, done that.

[geek tragedy]

8. He didn't fully itemize his expenditures!! This is HUGH. I'm series!1!1!!!!

Man, the Hillaryis44 crowd has jumped right over Jaws this time.

[zulchzulu]

10. When I read this in the NYT this morning, I knew you'd bring it up

How predictable...

I do like this part of the article:


Mr. Biersack, the F.E.C. spokesman, said penalties are not typically assessed when reports are quickly amended.

"The reports are supposed to be complete, and you are attesting to that when you file them,” he said Wednesday. “But amendments are filed all the time."

:boring:


From what I heard about this, the campaign has opened new offices in 25 states in the past couple weeks where some of the invoices are being gathered/accounted for. It's all Barack's fault, man.

:sarcasm:

[Tellurian]

12. Zulu! Thats not the point and you know it!

I'll bet you that the bottom lines all check out on that report.

On a cursive review of same, someone already picked up on the "Expense" comparison of last quarter and this one. A discrepancy as huge as the Grand Canyon is pretty hard to disguise under Petty Ca$h or Miscellaneous.

The other day, I was called a Liar by Geek Tragedy because I had the temerity to speak up and say: "Obama's expenses are not calculated correctly".... The GEEK went hysterical, as if s/he had been struck by a Truth dart!

[Ethelk2044]

20. That is the point. You are trying to make something out of nothing

[Tellurian]

22. Ethel, sit down somewhere.. and STOP interjecting your Rude know nothing comments

the post is addressed to zulu..

[William769]

11. Amazing, everyone is willing to jump all over Hillary without the facts on this same issue.

But Obama? Who cares. And people say they don't hate. Yea right. :eyes:

[Semper_FiFi]

13. Ain't it the truth...

:grr:

[Tellurian]

15. Oh yes, the usual loud mouths..

mouthing off without facts...the same boring, driveby suspects.

All Hat No cattle!

[William769]

16. Yes we have or share of driveby drivelers.

[Semper_FiFi]

14. Kick and recommend n/t

[illinoisprogressive]

17. I'd think you'd be more concerned about your candidate than what another one is doing

[William769]

23. You would think the same about you also.

But it doesn't seem to stop you.

[Catchawave]

18. Probably a goofy mistake like that $400 haircut.....

I'll wait til the report is ammended, BUT, it was filed late and screwed up, is this any way to run a country?

[MGKrebs]

19. Sounds like they just need to reallocate the credit card money to

whatever the expense was actually for.

[geek tragedy]

24. Don't tell that to the morons recommending

this post.

They can't quite comprehend what the story actually says.

[hedgehog]

21. After watching my husband struggle to match each receipt to its

proper slot after business trips, I can understand a little delay in getting all the details right!