Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema is facing accusations of misusing campaign funds for personal travel expenses, including trips to Europe, Japan, Aspen, and California wine country. The allegations, filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) in a complaint to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), claim that Sinema illegally used her campaign funds to cover chartered flights, hotels, personal meals, and catering that were unrelated to any official or campaign business.
CREW argues that Sinema’s actions violate the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), which prohibits the use of campaign funds for personal purposes. According to the complaint, Sinema’s spending was clearly for personal travel, and the expenses would have occurred regardless of her campaign. This is compounded by the fact that Sinema announced she would not seek reelection in March, months before these funds were disbursed for personal travel. The complaint further alleges that after these disbursements, Sinema for Arizona received no additional campaign contributions, except for one unitemized dollar.
The travel-related expenditures, which reportedly totaled over $216,000 between July and September, included trips to destinations such as Boston, Sonoma, and Aspen, with no apparent connection to any campaign or fundraising efforts. For example, one trip to Boston involved at least nine disbursements totaling nearly $8,000 for dining and other services unrelated to campaign activities. Other trips, such as those to California and Colorado, also included significant travel-related expenses, amounting to over $15,000.
Sinema’s international travel, including visits to Paris, Tokyo, and London, also raised eyebrows. In London, for instance, she allegedly spent $4,500 on lodging, car services, and catered meals. Her trip to Italy reportedly cost over $3,000, further adding to the scrutiny of her campaign’s finances. Critics argue that it’s difficult to see how these expenses could have benefited her campaign, as required by campaign finance law.
The complaint from CREW echoes a similar investigation from the previous year, which was also filed with the FEC by the political-action committee “Change for Arizona 2024,” known as the “Replace Sinema” group. While the outcome of that complaint remains unclear, political experts and Sinema’s supporters argue that these accusations have yet to result in significant consequences. They point out that, given Sinema’s decision to leave the Senate, the complaints may not have much impact on her political career.
Sinema’s team has not responded to requests for comment, as they have been out of the office since December 20. Despite the controversy surrounding her spending, some political strategists argue that the lack of substantial consequences for campaign finance violations is common, especially when the individual in question is not seeking reelection.
As the FEC reviews the complaint, the situation has sparked ongoing debate about the oversight of campaign finances and the potential consequences for elected officials who misuse campaign funds.
