Sharpton's Campaign Costs Raise Questions
NEW YORK - The Rev. Al Sharpton's presidential campaign has paid for stays in swanky hotels even though it is running on a low budget, federal campaign finance records show.
AP Photo
Although his campaign had raised just $284,000, financial records filed through September showed Sharpton's campaign expenses included $7,343.20 for three nights at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles and $3,264.11 for one night at the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas.
The Sharpton campaign also spent $1,675 for a limousine service in Oak Lawn, Ill., and $3,645.82 for a stay at the posh Mandarin Oriental hotel overlooking Biscayne Bay in Miami, according to the records available Saturday at the Federal Election Commission (news - web sites)'s Web site.
Separately, The New York Times reported Saturday that Sharpton did not report the free use of cars from a dealer in South Carolina, an expense that the FEC said should have been declared.
"Your staff sometimes lets things slip through the cracks," Sharpton told the newspaper.
Sharpton said he now will spend only $200 a night per room on hotels.
In contrast with Sharpton's limited bankroll, fellow Democrat Howard Dean (news - web sites) has raised $15 million, while former general Wesley Clark (news - web sites) raised $3.5 million in two weeks. Most presidential candidates stay in less ritzy hotels to money.
Sharpton has long been dogged by allegations of financial impropriety and pleaded guilty in 1993 to not filing a state income tax return seven years earlier.
Last week, his campaign filed for $100,000 in federal matching funds, plus additional funds of between $30,000 and $75,000.
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