Fron the Washington Post, via the every great TalkingPointsMemo comes news that Rudy Giuliani is living the good life courtesy of his campaign contributors.
Giuliani is one of the candidates who burned through more money in the last quarter than her raised (Romney and Obama are the others). Unlike Romney and Obama, Giuliani managed to do so without making significant media buys. Where did the money go? As Max Bialystock famously said -- If you've got it, baby, flaunt it!
Giuliani's spendthrift ways echo his past and have to make Americans wonder if he can be trusted with their hard earned money.
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Wondering about where the money went the Post says:
Giuliani's spending was elevated at least in part because he traveled in style. He often stayed in luxury hotels, spending $2,010 at the Greenbrier in West Virginia, $4,034 at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., and $5,370 at the Fairmont in San Francisco. He also spent more than $565,000 reimbursing various corporate supporters for private jet travel and an additional $800,000 on charter jet travel.
Now, Rudy has a lifestyle to keep up. Remember when he was too busy raking in the dough to participate in the 9/11 commission? No doubt he's polishing his credentials with the far right during his five thousand dollar visit to San Francisco (hotel only!).
No word in the Post on whether his wife was there at the La Costa Report and Spa, but Rudy somehow doesn't seem like the Spa kind of guy. Or, perhaps the Greenbrier. I can understand why he'd need a 2,000 vacation there since the primaries are known to turn on West Virginia's vote. As goes West Virginia so goes. . . East Virginia?
Giuliani left New York's finances in something of a mess when he left the mayoralty (kind of the way he left his last family, in fact). But one thing he did find City money for was to keep one of his mistresses -- Christine Laetegano -- on the payroll as his spokesperson.
Obviously the campaign is worried what its contributors might think if word of Rudy living large got around. They provided the Post with this statement:
"We have said, at the end of the day, looking at the total that we have, it shows we're running a very efficient and effective campaign and are very mindful of the donations that we receive," said Maria Comella, a Giuliani spokeswoman.
That's right Maria. Hey, somebody pass the Courvoisier.