Day: February 6, 2021

She paid out more than $22,000 to herself from campaign account; sum far surpasses predecessor’s reimbursements. Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, left, shakes hands with her supporter Patti Shear of Grand Junction during a campaign event in Collbran, Colorado on Thursday, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert paid herself more than $22,000 in mileage reimbursements from her campaign account last year. Boebert’s campaign defends the reimbursements but three ethics experts who reviewed the money transfers for The Denver Post say they raise questions. Candidates for federal office can legally reimburse themselves for miles driven in personal vehicles using the Internal Revenue Service’s mileage rate, which was 57.5 cents per mile for 2020. The Republican congresswoman from western Colorado wrote two checks totaling $22,259 from her campaign coffers for mileage between January and mid-November. To justify those reimbursements, Boebert would have had to drive 38,712 miles while campaigning, despite having no publicly advertised campaign events in March, April or July, and only one in May. Furthermore, because the reimbursements came in two payments — a modest $1,060 at the end of March and $21,200 on Nov. 11 — Boebert would have had to drive 36,870 miles in just over seven months between April 1 and Nov. 11 to justify the second payment. “This highly unusual amount of mileage expenses raises red flags and the campaign should feel obligated to provide answers,” said Kedric Payne, a former investigator for the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent body in Congress that examines misconduct allegations. Boebert’s former campaign manager and her finance director declined to comment or provide evidence Boebert drove nearly 39,000 miles last year. In a statement, her campaign defended the reimbursements, saying Boebert ran a grassroots campaign and traveled often. “She traveled to every nook and cranny of the district to speak with and hear from the people about their concerns. They say showing up is 90% of the battle and Lauren always showed up. Her aggressive travel schedule is a big reason she won,” the statement said. Boebert’s reimbursements to herself in one year eclipse her predecessor’s reimbursements over 10 years. Republican Rep. Scott Tipton reimbursed himself $9,797 from campaign coffers for all travel expenses — including airfare — during a decade representing the same district. He also reimbursed himself $9,575 from his office account for mileage in that time period.

via denver post: Rep. Lauren Boebert’s mileage reimbursement “raises red flags,” ethics experts say

By <a href=”//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Jeffrey_Beall” title=”User:Jeffrey Beall”>Jeffrey Beall</a> – <span class=”int-own-work” lang=”en”>Own work</span>, CC BY 4.0, Link

A Kentucky man was arrested Thursday in Uniontown on charges of participating in the U.S. Capitol riots on Jan. 6, including spraying police with mace. Peter Schwartz was charged with forcibly assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers; knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building; obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder; and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Mr. Schwartz appeared briefly before a federal magistrate judge in Pittsburgh and will be held in custody pending more hearings Wednesday, including a hearing on the government’s request for detention. It was not immediately clear why he was in Uniontown or whether he has ties to that area. According to an FBI affidavit, agents identified Mr. Schwartz on a television newscast Jan. 7 that showed a clash between rioters and police outside the Capitol building. In that footage, the FBI said Mr. Schwartz is seen extending his arm from among the crowd and spraying mace at police. One officer appears to be hit and turns away. Mr. Schwartz is later seen in the footage wielding a wooden baton, the FBI said. On Jan. 11, agents also received a tip from an acquaintance of Mr. Schwartz. The tipster said Mr. Schwartz, a traveling welder by trade, is a felon who had been released from prison because of COVID-19 concerns and was supposed to be in a rehabilitation center in Owensboro, Ky.

via post gazette: Kentucky man accused of participating in U.S. Capitol riot arrested in Uniontown

Two individuals from Lycoming County were arrested and charged with breaking into the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. in January. Mark R. Aungst, 45, of South Williamsport and Tammy A. Bronsburg (a.k.a. Tammy Butry), 49, of Williamsport were arrested on Thursday. Both were charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct and entering a restricted building. Bronsburg and Aungst were part of a bus trip organized “via Facebook to go to President Trump’s rally in Washington D.C.,” according to the criminal affidavit sworn by Special Agent Agent Josh Miller of the FBI.  Aungst was a last-minute addition to the bus, taking the place of a last-minute drop out, and Bronsburg reportedly “delayed the bus’s departure departure from Pennsylvania because she had been waiting at a McDonald’s in Williamsport” instead of the actual pick-up location at the McDonald’s in Lewisburg, states the affidavit.  Aungst and Bronsburg were “the last two trip participants to return to the bus” and Aungst reportedly bragged “about being inside the U.S. Capitol” upon returning to the bus, according to Agent Miller. 

via northcentralpha: Two Lycoming county individuals charged with breaking into U.S. Capitol

siehe auch: https://seditiontracker.com/suspects/tammy-bronsburg.html