Watchdog Accuses Kyrsten Sinema of Misusing Campaign Funds: ‘The Law Applies Whether It’s Your First Week or Last’
Kyrsten Sinema / PHOTO: Associated Press
Outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), set to be replaced by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) in just over a week, faces allegations from a government watchdog group that she misused campaign funds for personal expenses. The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has filed an official complaint, accusing Sinema of violating the Federal Election Campaign Act.
“The rule of thumb is that any dollar your campaign spends has to be for the campaign — it can’t just be for your own personal benefit,” CREW President Noah Bookbinder said in a statement. “It’s hard to see how any of this spending was for the benefit of the campaign.”
The Federal Election Campaign Act prohibits expenditures that “would exist irrespective of the candidate’s election campaign.” However, after Sinema announced in early 2024 that she would not seek re-election, she reportedly continued to charge her campaign for expenses unrelated to campaign activities.
According to The Arizona Republic, Sinema billed her campaign for up to $200,000 in travel expenses, including international trips to France, Japan, and the U.K., as well as domestic trips to locations such as California’s wine country and Boston. CREW’s complaint states that an “extensive search of the public record” found no official justification for these expenditures.
“Sinema appears to have used her principal campaign committee, Sinema for Arizona, to fund her personal travel, including domestic chartered and international flights as well as meals, catering, and lodging,” the complaint alleges. These expenses, the group asserts, appear unrelated to the campaign or official Senate business.
Bookbinder emphasized that the rules governing campaign funds apply throughout a senator’s tenure. “The law applies to you whether it’s your first week in office or your last,” he said. “Spending thousands of dollars of campaign contributions on yourself is even more troubling when it comes after you’ve announced you’re no longer a candidate.”
Sinema’s single Senate term was marked by controversy, alienating allies on both sides of the aisle as she adopted a more conservative stance after being elected as a progressive. Her tenure ended on a similarly divisive note, with Sinema delivering an expletive-laden farewell to Democratic critics in a recent interview.
As the allegations loom, Sinema’s legacy remains deeply polarizing, underscored by her close ties to big business and lobbyists and her departure from progressive roots.
