Busted: GOP congressman's campaign blew almost $150K on steakhouses, booze, and Uber
An embattled first-term Republican in a battleground district has been hit with yet a new scandal, as CNN reports his campaign spent six figures on steakhouses, liquor and Uber fares.
According to the report, Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY) could face an ethics probe over the matter.
"Federal Election Commission filings from the launch of his first campaign in the spring of 2022 through the latest October quarterly filing found that the freshman Republican congressman’s campaign spent nearly $102,000 on food and beverage, including roughly $13,400 at steakhouses and approximately $7,700 at bars and $2,000 at liquor stores. On two occasions, the campaign listed recipients simply as 'Steak' – without naming a restaurant, grocer or retailer." His campaign also reports spending $43,000 on Uber fares, with $12,000 attributable to a single fare alone — although his spokesman has said this was a "reporting error."
In addition, he also spent $600 on what appears to be a Memorial Day getaway at a hostel in Edinburgh, Scotland — at the same time as his campaign account showed him marching in a Long Island parade. His campaign has said that that charge was "for one House employee who traveled to that destination for both business and non-business purposes.”
D'Esposito, who represents the South Shore of Long Island and was one of several Republicans who flipped seats around the New York City metropolitan area in the 2022 midterm elections, is widely considered to be one of the most vulnerable freshman Republicans up for re-election this year, with a recent New York Times/Siena College poll showing him trailing by 12 points against Democratic challenger Laura Gillen.
This comes after separate reporting that D'Esposito gave his alleged mistress a $2,000-a-month job on congressional payroll, which may violate House ethics rules.