Santorum took corporate flights while arguing against perk

[dancingme]

Speaking from the Senate floor, U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R., Pa.) urged his colleagues to curtail a popular perk: private corporate-sponsored flights at bargain rates for members of Congress.

"This is clearly a subsidy," he said March 8.

Two days earlier, he had taken a BellSouth plane from a runway near his home in Leesburg, Va., to fund-raising events in North Carolina and South Carolina. The jet ferried Santorum, two aides and Ward White, BellSouth's top Washington lobbyist.

Santorum paid $6,955 - first-class rates, as Senate rules require, but a fraction of what it costs to operate the plane.
The subsidized flight - one of two disclosed in Santorum's latest campaign finance filing - underscores how business has gone on as usual for some in Washington despite the public push to restrict lawmakers' interaction with lobbyists in the midst of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. For Santorum, it magnifies the tension between his role as the Senate Republican point man on lobbying reform and his desire to use every resource for his tough reelection campaign.

When he took those flights, Santorum was pushing for changes in corporate travel rules. He proposed that members of Congress pay full market value for flights instead of the lower cost of a first-class ticket. Santorum teamed with U.S. Sens. John McCain (R., Ariz.) and Russell Feingold (D., Wis.) - both of whom have sworn off the flights.

"If I support such a proposal, I shouldn't be violating it," McCain told Roll Call in February.

Santorum, in an interview, said he did not have the "luxury" of a self-imposed ban.

"They are not running for reelection in one of the most expensive Senate races in the country," he said of McCain and Feingold.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/14485247.htm

[Atman]

1. He didn't have the "LUXURY" of a self-imposed ban, but...

...he was able to pay nearly over $2000 each for plane tickets from Virginia to North Carolina???

Sounds like LUXURY to me, you lying dog-fucker, Santorum!

[rodeodance]

2. good to see the philly local paper covering this jackass