Today marks the start of a week-long countdown to the White House Correspondents Dinner (WHCD). Congresswoman Mia Love generated a lot of bad headlines last year for misusing taxpayer dollars to pay for airplane tickets to the WHCD. The most egregious element of the story – and what kept this scandal in the news – was the fact that Love and her office repeatedly changed their story.
For those who don’t remember, here’s a look at Love’s shifting excuses:
- “no comment”
- “attended several meetings”
- “official business in the office”
- blamed “a staff member“
- “strategy meeting”
- “Whether it was one meeting or ten meetings doesn’t matter”
“Congresswoman Mia Love’s rapidly changing story left her constituents with more questions than answers,” said DCCC Spokesman Tyler Law. “The fact that her initial reactions were to deny and then make excuses – without a shred of evidence – is deeply troubling. Many months later we still don’t have a full story of what happened, and that’s not going to make her tough reelection any easier.”
We will highlight one of these excuses every day leading up the White House Correspondents dinner. Today we begin with her “no comment.”
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Rep. Mia Love faces questions about flight reimbursements
The Hill
September 3, 2015
Freshman Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah) billed taxpayers $1,160 for flights and other transportation costs to return to Washington the same weekend she attended the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner and other social events, according to House expense records reviewed by The Hill.
Love spokesman Richard Piatt said Thursday he had no comment when asked about the reimbursements or whether his boss had any official duties in D.C. that weekend in April.
House rules state that members are not allowed to use their congressional allowance “to pay for any expenses related to activities or events that are primarily social in nature.” Lawmakers are allowed to be reimbursed for flights to and from their districts so they can attend votes and carry out other official business at the Capitol.
While the WHCA dinner does raise money for journalism scholarships, the event — dubbed “Nerd Prom” — has been regarded as D.C.’s biggest social gathering of the year, replete with more than a dozen pre-parties and after-parties.
Love and her husband attended the dinner, and she dropped by at least one after-party, the annual Allbritton Sunday brunch, according to a tweeted photo and news stories from the weekend.
But Love has been keeping a low profile since arriving on Capitol Hill in January, perhaps in part because Democrats believe her rock-star status could hurt her reelection chances in 2016.
According to House expense records made public last week, Love was reimbursed by taxpayers for $537.10 for a commercial flight taken on Saturday, April 25, and another $537.10 for a second flight a day later on Sunday, April 26.
She sought reimbursements for another $86 that weekend for “Parking/Taxis/Tolls.”