BASED ON CREW COMPLAINT – FEC TO FEDERAL CANDIDATES: CAMPAIGN FUNDS CAN’T BE SPENT ON CLOTHES

16 Jul 2009 // Washington, D.C. – Today, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) reaffirmed its position that candidates cannot use campaign funds for personal clothing. On December 2, 2008, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint against numerous candidates for federal office, alleging they had violated the prohibition on converting campaign contributions to personal use by using campaign funds to buy clothes. The FEC found Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ), Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), candidate Bill Dew (R-UT), and candidate William James Breazeale (R-NC) had all violated campaign finance law by using campaign funds to purchase clothes.

Because they reimbursed their campaigns for the clothing, and because the amount spent was low, the FEC declined to take further action. The FEC made clear, however, that anything more than a de minimis amount spent on clothing is personal use per se and, therefore, prohibited.

CREW executive director Melanie Sloan stated, “This decision puts federal candidates on notice that excuses for purchasing clothing on the dime of campaign contributors won’t fly. Whether candidates need a suit and tie they are not accustomed to wearing, or traditional ethnic dress not part of their regular wardrobe, they will have to pay for those clothes themselves, just like everyone else.”

Click here to read the FEC's decision.

Click here to read CREW's original complaint.