Conservative Texas lawmaker admits he double billed for travel

[mike r]

Source: Washington Post

A Texas state representative who rails against the evils of runaway government spending admitted Monday that he has pocketed thousands of dollars in taxpayer money for travel expenses that his campaign had already funded.

Rep. Joe Driver, R-Garland, faced with findings from an investigation by The Associated Press, acknowledged in an interview that for years he has been submitting the same receipts - for luxury hotels, airline tickets, meals, fees and incidentals - to both his campaign and to the Texas House of Representatives. He has also been collecting thousands of dollars in state mileage reimbursements for travel in vehicles for which his campaign has shelled out more than $100,000 since 2000...

The AP's review of hundreds of pages of state and campaign travel records found that Driver double-billed for at least $17,431.55 in travel expenses, much of it at fancy out-of-state hotels, since 2005. The number could go higher, but House travel records before mid-2005 have already been destroyed. Driver has been in office for 18 years. The double-billing figure does not include the vehicle expenses.

Driver, an anti-tax conservative on the powerful House Appropriations Committee - which oversee how state dollars are spent - said he thought it was OK to bill two entities for the same expenses. He said he routinely pays hotels and airlines with donated political funds and then submits the same expenses to the state - taking the taxpayer money for himself. "Now you're scaring the heck out of me," Driver told the AP, adding: "It pretty well screws my week."


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/16/AR2010081604559.html

[Tansy_Gold]

1. .

.






(there are no words)

[Merlot]

7. you said it...

[Journeyman]

2. "I thought it was OK to double bill. Now let me explain my budget ideas . . ."

Truly, can such a criminal fool be viewed with anything but contempt?

[Tx4obama]

3. "House travel records before mid-2005 have already been destroyed."--- WHY? n/t

[SoapBox]

4. Easy answer! Conservaturd = Crook!!

[NBachers]

5. So, don't people go to prison for stuff like this?

[HCE SuiGeneris]

6. Hypocrites , liars and crooks comprise 90% of the GOP establishment.

[tomm2thumbs]

8. the GOP has such good people on their side - such pillars of our community

I'm figuring he eats lunch and vomits it back up for dinner - of course charging for a hot meal

[DiverDave]

9. "It pretty well screws my week." WTF???

Screws my WEEK??

Bastard should spend YEARS in jail...But, this is texas, after all

[Anakin Skywalker]

10. CONservatives. Always the Hypocrites!

[snooper2]

11. Figures he's from Garland...the last place you look for a home

:P

People actually drive AROUND Garland if it happens to be in the way of where you are going :rofl:

[raccoon]

12. How come? nt

[Jazzgirl]

14. Because it's a crap hole.

n/t

[snooper2]

15. you responded better than I ever could have lol

nt

[JBoy]

13. This needs criminal charges.