Ohio Senator Rob Portman told a local news affiliate on Wednesday that he felt changes needed to be made to Leadership campaign PACs. Portman’s statement comes in the wake explosive allegations detailed in a new book,”Extortion“, by Breitbart Senior-Editor-at-Large Peter Schweizer. Schweizer’s book details how politicians use “Leadership PACs” to afford lavish personal lifestyles.
“Clearly they ought be used for one purpose, and one purpose only, and that’s to help elect people who you believe are the right folks,” Portman told a Columbus, OH TV station. “That’s what we do with mine. We spend our money on trying to ensure we have pro-growth Republicans who can get elected.”
Schweizer’s book, which was featured on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” revealed that many lawmakers use the Leadership PACs for less electoral purposes. GOP Sen. Saxby Chamblis’s PAC spent tens of thousands of dollars at resorts and steakhouses. Rep. Charlie Rangel spent $64,000 to purchase a portrait of himself.
There are few rules governing the amounts that can be raised by “leadership” PACs, nor how these PAC’s spend their funds.
“I think some reforms are appropriate to ensure they’re being used for election purposes,” Portman said. “There’s also the campaign funds which are subject to certain restrictions. You can’t use campaign funds for personal purposes. The same should apply to the leadership PACs.”