By Kristin Jensen
April 22 (Bloomberg) -- Before she became secretary of state, Hillary Clinton’s Senate fundraising committee paid $2.6 million to the remains of her presidential campaign as it struggled to pay down debt.
On Jan. 19, the day before President Barack Obama’s inauguration, Clinton’s Senate committee paid for a “purchase of assets,” according to a report filed with the U.S. Federal Election Commission. The payment represented almost half of the $5.6 million that Clinton’s presidential committee took in during the first quarter of this year.
When Clinton, 61, ended her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination last June, Obama pledged to help her raise money to address the remaining debt. Late last year, the New York Democrat formally wrote off $13.2 million that she lent the campaign, yet still owed $6.4 million to vendors as of Nov. 30.
Thanks in part to the purchase made by her Senate committee, Clinton had whittled the presidential debt down to $2.3 million by the end of March. She owed the whole sum to Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, the firm of her former chief strategist, Mark Penn, owned by London-based WPP Plc.
Penn’s handling of the campaign and potential conflicts with his business drew criticism, and he gave up the role of chief strategist in April of last year.
Clinton adviser James Carville kicked off the most recent effort to pay off the remaining presidential debt on April 9 with an e-mail to her supporters offering them a chance to win a day with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, attend the American Idol season finale or talk politics with Carville and another Clinton adviser, Paul Begala.
Senate Campaign Spending
Clinton’s Senate campaign filing shows continued spending even after she was confirmed as secretary of state on Jan. 21. Among other disbursements, the committee paid $13,743 on March 13 to Occasions Caterers for use of a venue and catering, $5,000 to Mantz Advisory Group LLC on March 16 for consulting and fundraising and thousands of dollars for travel expenses.
In addition to the income from the Senate committee, Clinton’s presidential campaign got thousands of dollars from renting out its list of supporters and contacts. Obama’s inaugural committee paid $274,297, as did the William J. Clinton Foundation, the charitable group her husband formed after leaving office. Hillary Clinton’s leadership political action committee, Hillpac, paid $822,492 to rent the list.
Phone and e-mail messages left for State Department officials weren’t immediately returned. The directory-assistance number for Clinton’s Senate campaign committee, Friends of Hillary, is disconnected.
Campaign committees often outlast a candidacy, often spending money on administrative needs and handling outstanding bills. Former Ohio Senator John Glenn’s 1984 Democratic presidential campaign committee was still submitting FEC reports through the end of 2005.
Clinton was first elected to the Senate in 2000 and won re- election in 2006.
To contact the reporter on this story: Kristin Jensen in Washington at kjensen@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: April 22, 2009 17:24 EDT
April 22 (Bloomberg) -- Before she became secretary of state, Hillary Clinton’s Senate fundraising committee paid $2.6 million to the remains of her presidential campaign as it struggled to pay down debt.
On Jan. 19, the day before President Barack Obama’s inauguration, Clinton’s Senate committee paid for a “purchase of assets,” according to a report filed with the U.S. Federal Election Commission. The payment represented almost half of the $5.6 million that Clinton’s presidential committee took in during the first quarter of this year.
When Clinton, 61, ended her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination last June, Obama pledged to help her raise money to address the remaining debt. Late last year, the New York Democrat formally wrote off $13.2 million that she lent the campaign, yet still owed $6.4 million to vendors as of Nov. 30.
Thanks in part to the purchase made by her Senate committee, Clinton had whittled the presidential debt down to $2.3 million by the end of March. She owed the whole sum to Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, the firm of her former chief strategist, Mark Penn, owned by London-based WPP Plc.
Penn’s handling of the campaign and potential conflicts with his business drew criticism, and he gave up the role of chief strategist in April of last year.
Clinton adviser James Carville kicked off the most recent effort to pay off the remaining presidential debt on April 9 with an e-mail to her supporters offering them a chance to win a day with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, attend the American Idol season finale or talk politics with Carville and another Clinton adviser, Paul Begala.
Senate Campaign Spending
Clinton’s Senate campaign filing shows continued spending even after she was confirmed as secretary of state on Jan. 21. Among other disbursements, the committee paid $13,743 on March 13 to Occasions Caterers for use of a venue and catering, $5,000 to Mantz Advisory Group LLC on March 16 for consulting and fundraising and thousands of dollars for travel expenses.
In addition to the income from the Senate committee, Clinton’s presidential campaign got thousands of dollars from renting out its list of supporters and contacts. Obama’s inaugural committee paid $274,297, as did the William J. Clinton Foundation, the charitable group her husband formed after leaving office. Hillary Clinton’s leadership political action committee, Hillpac, paid $822,492 to rent the list.
Phone and e-mail messages left for State Department officials weren’t immediately returned. The directory-assistance number for Clinton’s Senate campaign committee, Friends of Hillary, is disconnected.
Campaign committees often outlast a candidacy, often spending money on administrative needs and handling outstanding bills. Former Ohio Senator John Glenn’s 1984 Democratic presidential campaign committee was still submitting FEC reports through the end of 2005.
Clinton was first elected to the Senate in 2000 and won re- election in 2006.
To contact the reporter on this story: Kristin Jensen in Washington at kjensen@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: April 22, 2009 17:24 EDT
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