GOP fear: Steele spending spree could cripple convention

[Geee]

Daily Caller:

Besides the obvious reasons for opposing extravagant spending and rampant cronyism, key Republican operatives also fear that the current spending spree by Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele’s former personal assistant, Belinda Cook, could debilitate the party’s nominating convention.

The reason is the spending, much of which is for eyebrow-raising salaries and rent on a waterfront mansion, will come out of a limited pot of federal funds that are crucial for running the convention.

Cook is using the federal funds for activities that could be funded by corporate “soft” money, like rent on the waterfront mansion.

Each party’s nominating conventions are funded by separate streams of money that serve different purposes. At the heart of the operation is about $17 million in federal funds that are available for almost any purpose related to putting on the convention.

Alongside that money, parties use “host committees” that can raise soft money to fund convention-related expenses.