Oh Really Pat?

Emails show Meehan authorized his own stays at New York luxury hotel even though he claimed otherwise in last night’s debate

 Springfield, PA – Last night, when Bryan Lentz asked Pat Meehan why he thought taxpayers should have paid nearly $5,000 so that he could stay at The Waldorf-Astoria in New York City during four trips from 2002 through 2006, Pat Meehan responded by saying that he wasn’t responsible for approving his own travel expenses (see attached video). Email exchanges that Meehan had with his finance staff while he was an employee of the U.S. government clearly show that that was not the case. (see attached images).
 
Although he said he did not have to authorize his own expenditures, the emails provided through a Freedom of Information Act request show that Meehan repeatedly authorized the cost of staying at New York’s premiere luxury hotel. In some of the emails, Meehan noted the price of the hotel, and in one of the emails he pointed out he was aware that a government rate was not available.
 
 “As a former prosecutor who built his cases on email evidence, Pat Meehan should know better than to make a claim like that,” said Kevin McTigue, Bryan Lentz’s campaign manager.  “Public records clearly show he was making decisions about whether staying at a luxury hotel was the appropriate use of taxpayer dollars.”
 
Pat Meehan has declined to provide specifics of what he would cut to balance the budget, although he has made reducing government spending a focus of his campaign.  However, a review of his reimbursements as U.S. Attorney shows there was no expense too big or too small for him to charge taxpayers – from stays at above mentioned Waldorf-Astoria to 35 cent tolls.  Moreover, although he accepted $8,000 in per diem expenses and $2,800 for mileage costs, he is running an ad attacking Lentz over per diems and car expenses.