Explosive article exposes Kyrsten Sinema’s use of campaign funds to pay for luxury travel expenses for marathon runs
The fallout continues after an explosive article detailing Kyrsten Sinema’s excessive and questionable use of campaign cash to pay for her stays at the Ritz Carlton during the Boston Marathon.
Coverage below:
Daily Beast: Kyrsten Sinema Is Just Another Politician in It for the Perks
Matthew Lewis // May 15, 2023
Anna Nicole Smith, the model and TV personality who died in 2007, famously said that “It’s very expensive to be me.” The line was outrageous, pithy, and true. But no one would blame you for attributing that infamous quote to Arizona Sen. Krysten Sinema, instead.
[…] If you have bodyguards, personal planes, and champagne, and you frequent Ritz-Carltons—all funded by other people’s money—the question of whether you are personally accruing wealth is a distinction without much of a difference.
[…] Even if you assume the best, this sort of behavior reinforces a growing sense among many Americans that the game is rigged and that politicians are using their perch to benefit themselves, not “we the people.”
[…] Sinema was supposed to be running for re-election as the late Sen. John McCain’s heir, but she appears to be more focused on running marathons. Increasingly, it looks like she is more interested in serving herself than serving the public.
In the immortal words of McCain, “It’s hard to do the Lord’s work in the city of Satan.” He wasn’t wrong.
Daily Beast: How Kyrsten Sinema Uses Campaign Cash For Her Marathon Habit
Sam Brodey // March 14, 2023
According to Federal Election Commission records, Sinema collected over $16,000 in campaign contributions from a handful of Massachusetts-based donors in April 2022—many of them at the maximum level, suggesting she held some type of fundraiser, if a small one.
There’s further evidence in filings from Sinema’s personal political action committee, Getting Stuff Done PAC, which spent over $1,500 on “meeting meals” and “event supplies” at Boston-area businesses the week of the race.
As it happens, in April 2022, Sinema’s campaign paid $8,470 in lodging expenses at an unspecified Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The photo Sinema posted to Twitter, however, showed herself and a friend posing in a hotel room with celebratory gift bags and certificates—which bore the luxe chain’s distinct lion logo.
The New Republic: Kyrsten Sinema Thinks You Need Bougie Hotels and Limousines to Run a Marathon
Tori Otten // May 15, 2023
Senator Kyrsten Sinema has a history of making questionable choices for personal gain. And now she seems to be strategically planning campaign fundraisers to justify bougie travel and accommodation expenses for personal competitions.
Radar Online: Senator Kyrsten Sinema Accused of Using Campaign Cash to Bankroll Marathon Expenses
Connor Surmonte // May 15, 2023
In a surprising development to come months after Sinema abruptly left the Democratic Party in December 2022, the now-independent senator has been accused of using campaign funds to pay her travel expenses and other amenities on at least six separate occasions between 2019 and 2022.
Just the News: Arizona Sen. Sinema used campaign donations to help pay for her marathon races
Madeleine Hubbard // May 15, 2023
Her campaign also paid $8,470 to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel chain in April 2022 for lodging expenses. At the time, Sinema posted photos on Twitter of herself and her friend in a hotel room posing with gift bags and certificates bearing the Ritz-Carlton name and logo.
Raw Story: Massachusetts donors have been paying Kyrsten Sinema’s Boston Marathon expenses: report
Alex Henderson // May 15, 2023
The former Democrat turned independent is known for being an avid runner and has often tweeted photos of her participating in marathons in different parts of the United States — including the Boston Marathon. But according to The Daily Beast’s Sam Brodey, Massachusetts donors have been covering significant chunks of Sinema’s marathon expenses.
LGBTQ Nation: Kyrsten Sinema appears to use campaign funds for personal travel
John Russell // May 15, 2023
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) is passionate about athletics, competing in marathons and triathlons around the country, and reportedly making her staff prioritize her training regimen. Now, a new report suggests she may have scheduled campaign fundraisers around some of those trips in order to justify using campaign funds to pay for her personal expenses.
###