Florida GOP Staffer's Credit Card Charges: $1.3 Million
Christopher Weber
A junior staffer of the Florida GOP racked up $1.3 million in charges on a party credit card in the latest spending scandal to hit Sunshine State Republicans. Starting in 2006 and over the next 2½ years, Melanie Phister's American Express was charged $40,000 for a stay at a London hotel, nearly $20,000 for plane tickets for indicted former House Speaker Ray Sansom and his family, and thousands more for jewelry, sporting goods and other items, according to records obtained by The St. Petersburg Times. A $15,000 charge was listed as a month-long stay at a Miami Beach hotel.
In a statement obtained by Talking Points Memo, Phister, who served as finance director for state House campaigns, said she didn't rack up all the expenses herself, and that her bosses had access to her AmEx:
Charges on the card were incurred in relation to the duties of raising money for the Party, and as directed by Rep. Sansom in his role as the Speaker-Designate. I did not have the sole discretion to initiate credit card spending. Over that period of time, there were multiple instances when the card was used to make purchases that I had no knowledge of, and I did not regularly review the monthly credit card statements which I understand were sent directly to the Party's accounting office.
The GOP said Phister's spending was "incurred in relation to her duties as finance director for house campaigns during the 2008 election cycle, and as directed by Rep. Sansom in his role as Speaker Designate."
Sansom was indicted last year on charges of inserting $6 million into the state budget for an airport building that a friend and GOP contributor wanted to use as an airplane hangar. During the investigation, it was revealed that Sansom charged more than $170,000 in personal items on his party-issued credit card.
The Florida Republican Party has hired an accounting firm to conduct an independent audit of the party's finances.
The news comes as the national Republican Party deals with the fallout from a report last month that a GOP staffer approved a $1,946.25 payment at a bondage-themed Hollywood nightclub.