Report: Sen. Cassidy spent thousands in campaign funds on private club dues

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Thousands of dollars in campaign expenditures by Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy on membership dues at a pair of social clubs could run afoul of federal campaign finance rules, according to a report in Roll Call newspaper.

Cassidy spent more than $5,500 on membership fees at the elite Penn Club of New York City, a private Manhattan club associated with the University of Pennsylvania, and another $650 on dues for the Petroleum Club in Morgan City, a social club founded by oil and gas industry businessmen, according to an analysis of federal campaign finance filings by Roll Call, a D.C.-based newspaper that closely covers Congress and federal politics.

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Federal Election Commission rules prohibit spending campaign donations on membership fees at country clubs, health clubs or "other nonpolitical organization" because those costs are considered personal expenses.

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Cassidy campaign spokesman Ty Bofferding denied any wrongdoing in a statement sent to Roll Call and The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate. Cassidy, who's currently running for re-election in November, "uses the Penn Club for campaign events and we believe everything was done appropriately."

Such spending would be legal under Louisiana's campaign finance rules. But because Cassidy is running for re-election to federal office, federal campaign finance regulations govern fundraising and spending by his campaign.

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