NY Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney spent $29K in travel expenses amid COVID
New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney spent tens of thousands of dollars in travel-related expenses during the pandemic despite suspending in-person campaign events and telling his constituents to “stay home,” a report said.
For nine months, beginning in March 2020 — the onset of the pandemic — the Democratic lawmaker spent $29,000 on “ground transportation” and “automobile expenses,” according to financial disclosures obtained by The Washington Free Beacon.
The spending came after Maloney urged residents in his upstate district to stay home and “stop spreading the virus,” the report said.
The majority of the spending, $20,000 of it, went towards lease and insurance payments.
Gas expenses totaled $2,200, and $2,100 was spent on rental car fees. Collision repairs and a satellite radio subscription accounted for the remaining disbursements.
But lawmaker spending on travel-related costs amid the pandemic was not uncommon, according to public financial disclosures.
Several other members of Congress logged ten of thousands of dollars worth of such expenditures during the pandemic.
Among them is Illinois Rep. Darin Lahood, who from March 2020 to December 2020, reported just over $20,000 in travel-related costs.
His expenses include: vehicle insurance, airfare, car payments and “travel expenses,” the records show.
Maloney did not respond to a request for comment from the publication.
Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust Executive Director Kendra Arnold told the Free Beacon that the expenditures raised “red flags.”
Arnold said Maloney “has a duty to explain” the expenses.