A trip to Disneyland on the public dime

Josh Felt from Publicola reports: "State taxpayers funded a $1,500 trip to Disneyland for state Attorney General Rob McKenna last summer, during which McKenna held a fundraiser for his gubernatorial campaign, according to records obtained by PubliCola. This latest news comes just a few days after the Seattle Times reported on McKenna's record of taking free trips as AG that were paid for by various outside groups such as the Japanese Foreign Ministry and the Government Leadership Foundation, a Republican advocacy group—but nothing at taxpayers' expense, the paper said. McKenna's campaign finance disclosure reports show that McKenna held a fundraiser at the hotel on July 25, the second-to-last day of his taxpayer-funded stay at the Disney Grand. However, McKenna's round-trip flight and four-day stay at the Disney Grand California Hotel in Anaheim, California for the Conference of Western Attorneys General summer meeting between July 22 and July 26, were publicly funded, PubliCola found. While the main itinerary of the Disneyland trip appears to be legit—McKenna's calendar details seminars and panels on everything from cyber-bullying to regulating the tax preperation industry—aspects of the trip raise ethical questions. McKenna's wife Marilyn accompanied McKenna on the trip—and taxpayers covered the four-night, $1,212.12 bill for McKenna's room, plus $376.60 in reimbursements for his round-trip flight and two meals, according to bank statements from the Attorney General's office. (McKenna covered his wife's airfare.) McKenna's campaign finance disclosure reports also show that McKenna, as a gubernatorial candidate, held a fundraiser at the hotel on July 25, the second-to-last day of his taxpayer-funded stay at the Disney Grand. McKenna's campaign fundraising records show that he raised close to $4,000 in late July from California donors.Was it kosher for McKenna to hold a campaign fundraiser in the hotel while the public was paying for him and his wife to be there for an AG's conference? (McKenna's children appear to have accompanied him and his wife to Disneyland, according to tweets and tweet pics published by McKenna's daughter Madeleine from Disneyland: "Dubs up on Splash Mountain at Disneyland! Love my Huskies!" Madeleine tweeted along with a roller coaster picture on the evening of July 24th.)

We found no account of airline tickets or hotel bills for McKenna's kids.

The details about this trip don't jibe with McKenna's account in this weekend's Seattle Times article about McKenna's travel records. McKenna, responding to the Times' inquiries about the trips he's taken as Attorney General, said: "All the trips have been at no cost to state taxpayers."

The Times noted that some of McKenna's "trips were paid for by the Conference of Western Attorneys General," but they make no mention of the July CWAG trip that was, in fact, funded in part by the public.

The Washington State Republican Party said, in a press release on Monday, "None of these trips were paid for with taxpayer dollars."

I do not know if the trips that the Times scrutinized include the McKenna family trip to Disneyland, but portions of this trip were certainly billed to the public."

Comments

[Chucks]

I don't suppose that Obama, flying arround the entire nation on a big old 747 to hold hundreds of fund raisers on the taxpayers hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars would warrant the same scrutiny from the same morons that worked so hard to dig up this trash?
Is this just another embicilic effort to sling a little more mud where no violations exist. Are you people so desperate and in fear of McKenna whipping the democrat candidate that you are going to actively seek new bottoms to slither into in order to eek out another "victory"? I don't know why you people insist on bringing up trivial tripe of dilusional visions of misconduct on the part of an honest man like McKenna but throw your full support behind the likes of Barrack Obama and every other left wing crook or imcompetant boob running as democrats.
Thank goodness that, with only the slightest luck, we will soon be rid of Obama. It might take a little more luck, but be rid of democrats as governer for at least the next four years.
Keeping an eye on you from Youngstown. Smarten up a bit.

[DODJr]

Hey, now lets check deep on Inslee's past, etc. We don't want to be bias, do we?

[Zippy Doo Dah]

yawn, WHAT, a politician on the public dole misuing funds for his own benefit??????, yawn, HOW SHOCKING, urp. Give me a break, this country was rigged and corrupt since day one. What, the Politico dude's farts smell like purty flowers. Let's have a pack of dogs look into everything Josh feit does and then hang him out to dry.

[GOPer]

Embarrassing post by Rachelle. But then again this is not journalism. Just a post to get a few lefty blokes riled up about McKenna doing well in the polls.

[T-S]

If there's anything to be found on Inslee, it will be found. Or are you guys admitting your side sucks at finding facts? Perhaps you're just too used to fiction.

McKenna's a typical right-winger and if he gets the job, he'll be telling us all to pay for our own earthquake survival just like his good friend, Romney.

All those red governors like lap dogs to Obama today. My oh my as Dave would say.

[nameless]

another self righteous right winger exposed as a hypocrite, who knew?