If you are like most people, you stash away a little cash for the unexpected expenses that life will throw your way now and then.
If you don’t, it wouldn’t be prudent, as George H.W. Bush liked to say.
But unless you happen to be a billionaire with political ambitions to be Ohio's governor, your stash of cash is likely considerably less than $500,000.
Since GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's gubernatorial campaign began, it has spent over $500,000 on an American Express card, according to the Ohio Capital Journal.
The amount being put on the credit card has been increasing fast and furiously since April — $280,892 in the past two months.
Such spending is unusual on two fronts: First the amount spent — usually, these kinds of petty cash cards are reserved for things like buying pens for the office, or treating staff to pizza for a late night at work. Second, is the fact that there's been no public disclosure of what the money is being spent on.
"Ohio campaign finance reports require campaigns to disclose each individual transaction — not just how much they spent but who they paid and what they purchased with the money," the Ohio Capital Journal writes. "Ramaswamy’s campaign is only reporting its monthly credit card bill."
This "obscures how the campaign is spending money," the left-leaning outlet says. "It also leaves room for doubt about whether those transactions are legitimate."
But is it illegal? It depends on who you ask.
Standard procedure or choice?
Both the office of Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose — which is now keeper of campaign finance records after lawmakers did away with an existing independent campaign watchdog commission and replaced it with a new office under the secretary's control — and Ramaswamy’s campaign so far have not answered Ohio Capital Journal’s requests for an explanation.
Here is one thing we know that is not in dispute: Ohio law requires a cancelled check or receipt for any campaign expenditure of $25 or more.
According to the Ohio Capitol Journal, Ramaswamy has yet to provide that.
David Niven, a political science professor at the University of Cincinnati, believes this means no one really knows what Ramaswamy is doing with this $500,000.
“The cavalier thwarting of campaign finance disclosure law by a candidate with every resource at his disposal to ensure full compliance — this isn't an accident, it's a choice," said Niven, who has also served as a consultant on various Ohio Democratic candidate campaigns. "I've seen the Secretary of State's office require a state legislative candidate to provide a cancelled check when spending $26 at Staples.”
“The inability of Frank LaRose's office to demonstrate their commitment to vigorous enforcement and full transparency with a candidate he's endorsed is, to use a Susan Collins'-ism, concerning,” he continued. “You see campaigns list a petty cash entry — and it's typically $20 to buy pizza for the volunteers. But this is Ohio's first half million-dollar petty cash fund.”
In its investigation, Ohio Capital Journal found one person with experience in campaign finance to defend what Ramaswamy has done.
Phil Richter, the former head of the Ohio Elections Commission, told the Ohio Capital Journal that Ramaswamy’s lack of reporting isn’t that big of a deal so long as the campaign eventually provides information to backup its spending.
“If it’s provided in a timely manner — there’s a little bit of a delay, but it’s not that out of the ordinary,” he said.
Maybe so. But the real concern is that other politicians, like little kids, are going to see this shiny new toy Ramaswamy has and want one of their own.
If Ramaswamy can get away with it, other politicians — of both parties — are going to end up doing a lot more with their petty cash than buying pizzas.
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