Politics

Dem calls for investigation, tighter rules following Ron Paul double-payment allegations

Christopher Bedford Senior Editor, The Daily Caller
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Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley, chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Transparency Caucus that he co-founded with Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, is proposing the House of Representatives strengthen congressional travel reporting requirements following reports on Rep. Ron Paul collecting twice — once from taxpayers and once from non-profits — for flights he has been taking, Roll Call reported on Wednesday.

Though since 2009 congressional expenses have been available online, the specifics on what the money was used for — and whether it was reimbursed by taxpayers or non-profits — are not available. Quigley wants to see such expenses itemized.

Though he said that his proposal to strengthen the rules is not specifically because of Paul — a GOP presidential candidate — Quigley said that he does think an investigation of Paul’s actions is “merited and will take its natural course.”

Liberty Committee President David James confronted Ron Paul staffers on the issue of double payements, and his reimbursements, combined with documents Roll Call obtained, “suggest Paul was aware that he was often being reimbursed twice for individual flights.”

Roll Call reported that it “found 26 flights in which several layers of documentation show double payments.”

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