A Republican challenging House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) in a primary this summer asked the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday to investigate his opponent’s campaign reimbursements.
Chia-Chi Teng, a former Microsoft software developer and information technology professor, argued that some of Chaffetz’s campaign spending, such as on hotels, campaign-owned vehicles and babysitting, should be considered personal expenses.
Chaffetz has said he uses a personal credit card that accrues frequent flier miles, instead of a campaign credit card, and then gathers reimbursements for expenses deemed to be for political purposes.
{mosads}Teng accused Chaffetz of inappropriately billing his campaign for personal expenses while taking advantage of airline benefits.
“It should be incumbent upon the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee to exhibit impeccable judgment in the issuance of his own campaign reports if he is going to question the highest branches of government,” Teng wrote in a letter to the FEC.
Chaffetz maintains that his expenses are properly accounted.
“This is a baseless attention-grabbing move by an ill-advised opponent. My campaign’s reports and practices are thoroughly vetted by Certified Public Accountants and outside counsel. I am in full compliance with the FEC and have always been in good standing with the Commission,” Chaffetz said in an email to The Hill.
Teng points to one instance where Chaffetz claimed an expense for gas station stop in Laguna Beach, Calif., well beyond the eastern Utah district. He also highlights expenses for a hotel stay at a resort in the district on Thanksgiving Day in 2014, which he notes coincided with a photo of a turkey cooking in an oven that Chaffetz posted on Instagram.
“What campaign activity did the Chaffetz campaign undertake on Thanksgiving Day at a five-star resort just one hour from his home?” Teng asked.
In addition, Chaffetz is among the multitudes of lawmakers who sleep in their offices during weeks when the House is in session instead of spending money on expensive D.C. real estate. However, Chaffetz has said that he stays in a hotel when his wife is in town.
Chaffetz told the Salt Lake Tribune this month that he bills the campaign if his wife comes to D.C. for a political event. He also acknowledged submitting reimbursements for babysitting expenses.
“I wasn’t going to leave a 12-year-old overnight by herself,” he told the newspaper.
But Teng said using campaign funds to cover babysitting costs did not qualify as appropriate.
“No responsible parent would suggest that Mr. Chaffetz should not get a babysitter for his child; the true issue is why should that babysitter be paid for from campaign funds? I know of no Utahns that are allowed to expense babysitting costs through their employer with exception of Mr. Chaffetz,” Teng wrote.
Teng is considered a long shot to pull an upset over Chaffetz in the June primary. According to the most recent reports filed with the FEC, Teng has raised just $15,000 compared to Chaffetz’s $884,000.