Reid: Who’s paying for Bush’s trips?

Friday, Oct. 18, 2002 | 9:31 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid on Thursday asked the General Accounting Office to investigate whether taxpayers are paying for President Bush's campaign travel.

Reid, D-Nev., suspects Bush of spending "millions and millions of dollars" on the trips.

"Why should taxpayers foot the bill for the president's fund-raising and political stumping?" Reid asked during a speech on the Senate floor.

Bush, like past presidents, often travels to states to make an appearance at an official event, then later attends fund-raisers on the same trip.

White House officials have said they fairly divide up costs based on a formula used for years by past Democratic and Republican presidents. The White House pays for part of the trip and political groups pay for a part of the trip.

"That's always being followed," White House spokesman Ken Lisaius said.

But Reid doesn't buy that. Reid on Sept. 26 asked White House Office of Management and Budget director Mitch Daniels for an accounting of the expenses incurred when Bush travels and campaigns for Republican candidates.

OMB plans to respond to the letter "soon," spokeswoman Amy Call said. But the White House seems to be foot-dragging, Reid said, so he requested an investigation by the GAO, the auditing arm of Congress.

"We have to do something to make taxpayers free from the obligation of paying for campaign expenses," Reid said during another speech earlier this week.

Bush has campaigned more than any past president and plans to spend much of the next three weeks campaigning, Reid said. Lisaius said he had no way to compare Bush to other presidents on this issue.