Still trying to puzzle out what Rep. Rick Renzi’s (R-AZ) paying so much to accountants for. Flipping through old clips and FEC documents, it’s clear the guy needs a lot of help keeping those books straight.
From an Arizona Republic report, May 2004:
After having to correct virtually every financial report it submitted to federal officials for two years, U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi’s campaign committee thought it finally had mastered the science of accounting for donations received and amounts spent.
But the committee had to redo its latest filing to the Federal Election Commission. It was the 27th time since late 2001, when Republican Renzi first entered the race to represent Arizona’s rural 1st Congressional District, that his committee’s reports have required amendment.
But seven months later, he hit more rough waters: an FEC audit revealed Renzi illegally loaned his own campaign nearly $400,000 from his businesses. Not clear if he ever paid a fine or suffered some other penalty for this.
All this is in the past, of course, but it makes these new bills look more like part of the latest chapter in a much longer story.