Sen. Mary Landrieu blames sloppy bookkeeping for taxpayer-funded campaign flights

The Times-Picayune is reporting that Sen. Mary Landrieu on Friday issued the results of an internal investigation that uncovered $33,700 in campaign flights that were charged to her Senate account.

Mary Landrieu internal investigation finds $33,700 in improperly charged flights http://t.co/GQZoW4NU24

— NOLA.com (@NOLAnews) September 12, 2014

Landrieu blamed sloppy book keeping for the controversy:

“The review I ordered last month found these mistakes stemming from sloppy book keeping. I take full responsibility. They should have never happened, and I apologize for this,” Landrieu said. “A new system has been established that has been successfully used by a number of senate offices to provide a safeguard from this happening in the future.”

Landrieu blames sloppy bookkeeping: “I take full responsibility. This should have never happened & I apologize…” http://t.co/reYbSCMbyx

— James Hohmann (@jameshohmann) September 12, 2014

The $33,727.02 Landrieu is paying back is only 11% percent of total charged to federal govt for chartered flights: http://t.co/reYbSCMbyx.

— James Hohmann (@jameshohmann) September 12, 2014

Bill Cassidy demands Mary Landrieu release/review all her flight records back to 1997 — not just 2002 — for possible reimbursement.

— James Hohmann (@jameshohmann) September 12, 2014

RNC communications director Sean Spicer was quick to jump on the news.

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43 = how many flights @MaryLandrieu is reimbursing taxpayers 4 her campaign trips. Thats not a book keeping problem, thats incompetence.

— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) September 12, 2014

.@MaryLandrieu repays almost $34K for flights
via @Gannett http://t.co/jTXsPRz9cg

— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) September 12, 2014

Report: @MaryLandrieu Billed Taxpayers for Campaign Trips Dating Back to 2000@NRO http://t.co/EPuaDeDAWq

— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) September 12, 2014

RNC spokesman Michael Short told National Review Online it was no mistake that Landrieu let her self-imposed deadline of Sept. 8 pass before releasing the report. “With at least 9 more potentially illegal taxpayer-funded charter flights in question, it’s clear why Senator Landrieu decided not to release her report on time,” he said. “These flights suggest a longstanding pattern of abuse of taxpayer dollars dating back to her first term in office – not a bookkeeping error – and a strong contempt for hardworking Louisiana taxpayers”