The Facts
Michael Steele is currently embroiled in a controversy about the RNC’s budget. The expenses include, “$17,000 for private jet travel, $13,000 for limousines and car services and $9,000 for a trip to the Beverly Hills hotel” (1). “According to federal disclosure records, the RNC spent $17,514 on private aircraft in the month of February alone (as well as $12,691 on limousines during the same period)” (2). “RNC trips to other cities produced bills from a long list of chic and costly hotels such as the Venetian and the M Resort in Las Vegas, and the W (for a total of $19,443) in Washington. A midwinter trip to Hawaii cost the RNC $43,828, not including airfare” (2).

The opulence of our rulers doesn’t stop there, however. According to ABC news, “[…] the RNC spent $17,514 on private aircraft and $12,691 on limousines in the month of February, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Recent travel expenses also included $9,099 spent at the Beverly Hills Hotel, $6,596 dropped at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles and nearly $20,000 combined for the Venetian and the M Resort in Las Vegas and the W in Washington” (2). Most surprising is the report that nearly $2,000 of the budget was spent for a single night at an S&M-themed strip club in West Hollywood. “Once on the ground, FEC filings suggest, Steele travels in style. A February RNC trip to California, for example, included a $9,099 stop at the Beverly Hills Hotel, $6,596 dropped at the nearby Four Seasons, and $1,620.71 spent [update: the amount is actually $1,946.25] at Voyeur West Hollywood, a bondage-themed nightclub” (2).