Apologizes For Improper Use Of Taxpayers Money

Louisiana Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu has released the results of an internal investigation which showed she had improperly used $33,700 of taxpayer's money for campaign charter flights since 2002. The Senator issued an apology along with the investigation results, and reportedly wrote a check for the amount to the U.S. Treasury.

Sen. Landrieu's (pictured) campaign reportedly underpaid by about 11 percent for 43 charter flights since 2002. The Daily Caller reports that the investigation showed that most of the flights took place in the last two years, including a March 19 trip in which Landrieu attended 18 events, of which 13 involved campaign activities.

Landrieu said in a statement that “the review I ordered last month found these mistakes stemming from sloppy bookkeeping,” Landrieu said in a statement. “I take full responsibility. They should have never happened, and I apologize for this.”

“A new system has been established that has been successfully used by a number of senate offices to provide a safeguard from this happening in the future,” the statement said.

Landrieu is being challenged in her re-election bid by Republicans Bill Cassidy, a member of the U.S. House, and retired Air Force Colonel Rob Maness. Both have used the flights as a campaign issue.

Notice of the repayment came in a hand-delivered letter to Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA), the chair and vice chair, respectively, of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics.

FMI: Letter