Missouri Dem Claire McCaskill Sells Controversial Private Plane
- Posted on October 26, 2011 at 6:38pm by
Becket Adams
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Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) has sold a private plane she co-owned with her husband, months after her use of it for official business and failure to pay back taxes created public backlash.
Remember the scandal?
The controversy over the airplane goes back to the beginning of the year, when McCaskill was accused of using congressional funds to pay for a trip on the airplane that had a political purpose, reports The Hill.
The Senate Ethics Committee dismissed the complaint (although reimbursement for official travel is allowed under Senate rules but not for political travel), but McCaskill announced she would reimburse the government about $300,000 for back taxes she did not pay on the plane.
As expected, Republican opposition has seized on what they perceive to be a major gaffe that underscores how “out of touch” she is with her constituents.
Since the story broke, Republicans have launched an “Air Claire” ad campaign and have argued that she has effectively undercut her own claim to be an “ethics leader.”
In April, the Missouri Democrat said she would “sell the damn plane” after a series of damaging revelations. First she repaid the government $88,000 after she was criticized for reimbursing herself for use of the plane on official and political travel. Then she paid an initial $287,000, rising to $320,000 in back taxes, penalties and interest to St. Louis County.
“Claire said she would sell the plane and she did,” said Trevor Kincaid, a McCaskill spokesman. “True to her word as always.”
Kincaid said the plane sold for approximately $1.9 million to Northeast Montana Stat Air Ambulance Cooperative, which was a loss.
McCaskill, seeking re-election in 2012, faces a tight race in a state she only barely won in 2006. Even with the plane’s sale, Missouri Republicans and the eventual GOP Senate nominee are certain to highlight the issue as McCaskill runs for re-election.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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Comments (62)
americathebankrupt
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 11:33amIts no wonder why Democrats like Taxes.They Dont pay them!
Report Post »turkey13
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 2:58pmShe was one of the big supporterson omama care.
Report Post »oneshiner
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 6:58pmClaire McCaskill sold her soul long ago. She was an Obama lap doggie and licked up after him. The only thing I share with this woman is her husbands last name. Want no part of her.
Report Post »jessieH
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 11:16amDon’t forget to pay taxes on that income. No one is above the law, ex Senator.
Report Post »Lotus503
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 10:46amYes…and no fines and/or penalties levied on her, just like Timmy Geithner and Charlie Rangel. If you or I did this, the IRS would take everything we have and throw us in jail for the next 20 years.
I’m really getting sick of these elitists, aren’t you?
Report Post »AlmostaCowboy
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 10:21amHahahahahahahaha! How bad is it, Missouri, when a Californian can laugh at you and one of your politicians?
Report Post »MissouriGOP
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 12:04pmPretty damn embarassing. But if it was a California senator the would keep the plane, not pay their taxes, and blame the republicans somehow for what had happened. Democrat or not, she tried to make it right. But with that said, I can’t wait to voter her out in the upcoming election!
Report Post »klbrooks123
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 9:34amDo as I say, not as I do.
Report Post »americansfightingforcommonsense
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 8:29amYes, Claire must go. I too live in MO and Claire pays absolutely no attention to what the people in MO want. She ignores the voice of the people and only listens to President Obama and his progressive agendas. We do not want more government control over our lives. We want the government to protect our rights given to us by GOD!!! Not give us more red tape to grow our businesses and farms. See ya Claire; Wouldn’t want to be ya.
Report Post »MissouriGOP
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 12:05pmAmen. Although she is seen as a “moderate.” She‘s not any moderate I want that’s for sure.
Report Post »BertM
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 1:51pmClaire sounds like a conservative when she wants to. And it is always around election times. Don’t forget she backed Obama on all of his schemes and when it suits her she denies it or tries to justify it. Face it Claire.. You lie. You don’t care about your constiuents. So you sold the ‘Damn plane” Woopdy doo. You should have gotten fined for non payment and or sent to jail. That’s what would have happened to the common folk. You forgot that you work for us. And that is why you will be replaced.
Report Post »hempstead1944
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 8:26amShe sold her soul long ago……the plane hardly matters……
Report Post »patriotteapress
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 8:22am“This is your Patriot, I hope you have enjoyed your flight today on Claire Air. Please, notice I have just turned on the seat belt light as we make our approach to Regan National. Make sure you have your tray up and your seat in the upright position. We should be on the ground shortly. Thank you for flying Claire Air!”.
Another evil corporate jet owner gets taxed and grounded!
Report Post »TxMadMac
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 7:19amThere‘s not enough money in the world to satisfy these liberals and and their programs all the while they point the finger of blame at the republicans when they don’t get their way. That’s why our country is going bankrupt. We need to get each and every one of them out of office. I’ve come up with a totally new concept, it’s called fiscal responsibility. What do you think ?
Report Post »US Citizen
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 7:39amWant to bet she’ll take the loss from the sale of the plane on her tax return? All of these politicians are hypocrites! Wake up fellow citizens and stop taking partisan sides. All of the curren politicians are after the same thing regardless of their party…control, power and personal gain.
Report Post »I_can't_believe_this_stuff
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 6:23amDump the ‘political class’ … NObama too … do it now … why wait?
Report Post »Bill Rowland
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 6:04amAnother case of a politician thinking that the laws don’t apply to them. Do as I say not as I do!!
Does she sympathize with the OWS crowd? If she is so fond of Obumblers plans why doesn’t she give up some of her money?
OMG
Report Post »garyM
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 2:08amRon Paul is always talking about what congress needs to do and my question, what has he been doing all these years?
Report Post »AmericanPatriot01
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 2:16amOh I don’t know, maybe he was Defending the the Constitution… you might try and read it sometime or maybe doing even an hour of research, one of these days.
You have no idea? Do you do any research? outside of HuffPo? What a moron, to make a statement like that. GET A CLUE!!
WAKE UP!!
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 7:08amWhat he been doing all these years? Talk, Earmarks and living off the government dole.
Report Post »Shotgun167
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 3:16pmWhat are the hot topics at the Republican debates? Issues that Ron Paul has been championing for 20 years.
Ron Paul may not get elected President, but he most certainly WILL have controlled what will come.
The person that asks the questions controls the debate.
Report Post »garyM
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 2:06amWe have at least two GOP candidates that are in camouflage, they are as crooked as the democrats, Jon Huntsman and Ron Paul!
Report Post »AmericanPatriot01
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 2:12amThere is nothing crooked about Ron Paul
Report Post »Blackhawk1
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 9:41amYou are correct. There is nothing crooked about Ron Paul that can be proven. He is just an ineffective congressman that has been in Government service for 30 years and accomplished nothing.
Report Post »MissouriGOP
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 12:07pmI’m not a Ron Paul supporter, but I do not see how he is crooked
Report Post »Slowman101
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 1:23amMaybe her and that totally useless Michelle Obummer can go on vacation together. Somewhere far far away!
Report Post »Founding Father2
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 1:47amWow I think that is an interesting comparison. Sen. McCaskill makes tax payers pay for her private jets and so does Ron Paul, in addition to the many earmarks (being earmark king in the House) he gets for his district… where is the fiscal responsibility. According to http://url2it.com/ipcl , Ron Paul has spent millions on charters, more than any other GOP candidate. Using money from his campaign cash, donated by regular people. Where is the responsibility?
Report Post »AmericanPatriot01
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 2:01amUm.. I doubt you even have a clue about what you are talking about. Do you have any proof of wrong doing? NO!! You don’t? Any facts to back up your alligations? I have a feeling you have no clue of the integrity that Ron Paul exemplifies! You have no Facts or proof, must be a liberal troll throwing out alligations and ridicule. Oh wait! thats strait out of the handbook rules for radicals, your soo busted.
If there is campain cash, That is pretty much what is for. Transportation, advertisement, promotion and related expenses for running a campain. Its not taxpayer money.
Report Post »Blackhawk1
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 9:53amRon Paul sent 41 earmark requests totaling $157,093,544 for the 2011 Fiscal Year. His largest single request was $19,500,000 for a naval training ship at the Texas Maritime Academy in Galveston, followed by a $18,126,000 to provide maintenance on the Matagorda Ship Channel.
For Fiscal Year 2010, Paul requested 54 total earmarks, adding up to $398,460,640 in pork that the former presidential candidate sought to bring home to his district.
Over $130 billion was requested across 39,294 earmarks. With most House Republicans abstaining from the process, the majority of those requests came from Congressional Democrats. House Democrats requested over $51 billion, outpaced by Senate Democrats with just under $55 billion. On the other hand Senate Republicans only asked for $22 billion, with the four House Republicans accounting for a little over $1 billion in earmark requests. Louisiana Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu had the highest request total for the year at around $4.5 billion.
So Ron Paul is almost worse than Liberal Democrats at spending taxpayer money. Maybe he should read the Constitution about the Federal Governments responsibility. It’s not to raid the Treasury for earmarks.
Move along nothing to see here.
Report Post »TumbleBumble
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 12:10amSeeing her removed from office will be just one more sweet victory come election day. I hope to have a sugar high that night.
Report Post »DazzleMe55
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 12:21amI will be looking forward to that!
Report Post »AmericanPatriot01
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 2:06amI live in Missouri, Born and raised here.
Report Post »I will be voting against her and her currupt organization, I just hope we would have someone worth their salt run against her.
lodgerat
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 3:21amMe too. I can;t wait to throw the switch on her. She has backed Nobama on every single vote she has made. She is a liar and a cheat. I’ve been to three of her town hall meetings and I got to ask her if she was a progressive…she lied and said no. She was asked if she would vote for the health care bill and all she would say was she wasn’t sure. Then she couldn’t wait to kiss some presidential butt and vote for it, Goodbye Claire..you’re out of here.
Report Post »msmiddleamerica
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 7:38amI’m also a Missourian and the Carnahan Family need to be voted out right along with Claire. The Wind Farm stimulus money that Tom Carnahan received puts the whole family which includes Russ, 3rd Congressional District and their sister, Robin the Mo Secretary of State in the “Corruption and Cronyism” column with Claire. THEY NEED TO BE VOTED OUT RIGHT ALONG WITH CLAIRE!!!
Report Post »JQCitizen
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 11:55pmBusted, Baby!!!
Report Post »pinchanze
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 11:50pmHey Claire! Whatever higher political aspirations you had are now dust in the wind. Bye! Bye!
Report Post »DaveOregon
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 11:46pmI can’t point fingers at Mo. – we unfrotunately here in Oregon have/had WU; the gay mayoer of Portland who is a flaming idiot; plus Packwood and others. Liberalism is a disease – and I think like most cancers – you can only cut it out to kill/stop it – the radiation of light exposing these elitist nicompoops is not enough to sanitize and eradicate – they are like roaches – kill one, and 3 more show up!
Report Post »Master Sergeant Malone
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 3:14amYou got that right Dave. How in hell so few of these “roaches” can screw up an otherwise sane, normal society is beyond me. I can only attribute it to blanket apathy from the remainder of the country. But I have a feeling, a gut feeling we “the norm” have just about had our fill of these far out bast-rds and the tide of resistence is fast rising. These low life “gimme ’til you choke” ass h-oles have gone too far and IF they are not stopped soon, by any means necessary, there’s going to be hell to pay. I am personally “locked and loaded”. I would advise the rest of whats left of this country’s too few remaining patriots to do like wise and remain at-the-ready!
Report Post »wtfhappend
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 11:37pmShe may be out the door; however St. Louis has been occupied by tax stealers far longer than she has. We must not overlook the true occupiers of our community those take handouts that don’t deserve it. The true culprit is the individual that expects something for nothing, not to say her abuse is warranted. I am all about helping, just don’t abuse the love. Individuals have been bleeding this state dry for fifty+ years now. You can’t just fire one thief while the whole city continues to misappropriate social services monies unchecked.
Report Post »valleyfever
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 11:31pmHow much do you have to make to owe $287,000 in back taxes? If this isn’t for a single year then she must have been cheating for many years. Why hasn’t this come to light sooner? Funny how those who cheat on their own taxes have little trouble spending mine.
Report Post »Rational Man
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 11:27pmWill she give the money from the plane back to the tax payers?
Report Post »Maji
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 11:26pmKeep the plane!…Give up your job!!!!!
Report Post »jessieH
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 11:18pmI live in Missouri. “Air Clair is out of there!” Even if we have to drag her out by her hair. As for the people, she doesn’t care. So, as for me, it’s goodby Clair!
Report Post »steveh931
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 11:55pmIf they don’t represent their constituents and uphold The U.S. Constitution, dump them.
Report Post »AmericanPatriot01
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 2:11amMissouri is one of the few states that actually had a public vote on the issue of Obama care and we the votrers rejected it by more than 70% but she would not allow our state to join the lawsuits against the healthcare legislation. I would say that is NOT representing your constituancy “Air” Clair
Report Post »avgconservative
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 11:14pmIf it weren’t for the stuck on stupid people in St. Louis, this stupid, witless, nitwit, would be out of office. The whole state hates her. She keeps getting elected by the blind idiot residents of St. Louis.
Look up an article from a local newspaper a few years ago where she, as state auditor, slammed the Carl Junction, Mo school superintendent for breaking open meeting laws when he didn’t. She is soooo dumb. What business is it of the state auditor in policing open meeting laws? Dumb doesn’t describe well enough. St. Louis dumb… maybe.
The culture of liberal idiology, seen every day: http://FlipTheLib.com
Report Post »scout n ambush
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 10:56pmYou don’t need to be claire-voyant to see shes a hippocrat who is still going to lose re-election.
Report Post »Welcome Black Carter
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 11:09pmLiberals act as though they are truly are above everyone.
Report Post »Anamah
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 11:32pmScout N Ambush I would hope the Senate will be washed and disinfect it self after all this putrid human material pretending to be honest politician. Now is the time to cure and save the Republic.