McCaskill to return money spent on private flights

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Claire McCaskill’s office said Wednesday she plans to pay the U.S. Treasury $88,000 to cover the cost of charter flights she organized through a company in which she and her husband have an ownership stake.

The Missouri Democrat’s husband, Joe Shepard, incorporated Sunset Cove Associates LLC in 2002. The company owns an eight-seat, twin-engine plane which, according to records, McCaskill’s Senate office has paid to use 89 times out of taxpayer funds.

News of McCaskill’s use of the plane was first reported by Politico.com on Wednesday. The announcement that she would reimburse taxpayers came after the story was published online, out of an “abundance of caution,” according to spokeswoman Maria Speiser.

Speiser said McCaskill and her husband did not make any money by using Sunset Cove Associates to charter her flights. The most recent financial disclosure report on record, from 2006, shows that McCaskill valued her family’s stake in Sunset Cove as between $50,000 and $100,000 but reported making less than $200 profit from it.

“She has only paid for the use of her plane as required by the Senate rules, and there has been no profit to her or her family,” Speiser said.

The use of chartered flights by lawmakers is common and, given demands on their time, can sometimes be an occupational requirement. But McCaskill’s use of a plane that is owned by a company her family holds a stake in is unusual. Senate rules do not specify whether senators can be reimbursed for use of a personal aircraft for official use, although staffers and senators are reimbursed when they use their cars for personal business.

McCaskill’s use of a family-owned plane, though, runs contrary to the image she often portrays to voters as a straight-talking woman of the people. In 2006 when she campaigned for the Senate she rode around the state in an RV. McCaskill, who is up for re-election in 2012, is likely to face a strong Republican challenge.

Her office said that what McCaskill paid Sunset Cove for her chartered air travel compared favorably to the prices of charter flight companies. McCaskill’s office paid an average of $900 a flight each time she flew on the Sunset Cove plane.

“Sen. McCaskill has been very careful flying on taxpayer dollars,” Speiser said.

More like this story

wyriontair 2 years, 2 months ago

McCaskill a "straight-talking woman of the people"???? McCaskill's out for herself and her party, she doesn't care about Missourians, she considers us incapable of thinking for ourselves and thinks the government should tell us how to live our lives. To use her own words, "it's time to get the pitch forks out" and throw her out in 2012.

miracl 1 year, 9 months ago

When you are not spending your own money (money EARNED through work,a job, etc.) you lose all concepts of the cost of items. Look in some grocery carts next time you are shopping. When I purchase anything,I ask myself,"how long do I have to stand on concrete to pay for this item?"

John 1 year, 9 months ago

What a load of coffee beans. Of course they experienced a profit by booking those flights on an aircraft in which they had a monetary stake. The business is a corporation, the company experienced income from the booked flights. Even IF the McCaskills did not experience an immediate profit, the corporation;s value increased because of the added business. Also, the corporation was able to use the flights to assisst in depreciation of the aircraft thereby INcreasing networth and decreasing taxes. Also, the legal costs inbcurred for dealing with this matter, including the cost of the attorney are deductable as business expense. Tallk about having your cake and eating it too . . . . .

tonto 1 year, 9 months ago

Reality check, please. Total charges of $88,000 for 89 flights on a chartered plane is less than $1,000 per flight. We don't know what the commercial fares would have been. Perhaps she should have had a lobbyist, or a campaign committee, or a corporation with federal business interests pay for the flights like the rest of the senators do.

JCLifer 1 year, 9 months ago

Looks like there are plenty of flights available between Kansas City and Washington DC for less than $400 roundtrip. (That is less than $200 per trip if you want to compare to Tonto's point of her charges being less than $1,000 per trip.)

John 1 year, 9 months ago

Actually, whether there are cheaper flights or not . . . she used state monies to increase the values of the shares she owned, provided business that would increase the commercial value of a business she owned (partially, and, eventually, provided a situation in which her corporation received tax deductions to fight investigation for breaking the law. . . .

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