Nunes used political dollars for $15K in tickets, tours, trips

WASHINGTON — Rep. Devin Nunes used political donations to pay for nearly $15,000 in tickets to Boston Celtics basketball games as well as winery tours and lavish trips to Las Vegas, according to reports from the Federal Election Commission and two nonpartisan watchdog groups.

Nunes, R-Visalia, has reportedly been a Celtics fan since high school, though he grew up in Tulare He used the money from his political action committee last year on three occasions to buy tickets.

His PAC also spent about $42,741 since 2013 on catering, site rentals, hotels and meals in Las Vegas. The most recent instance was March 9, when the PAC spent $7,229 at seven different restaurants and hotels in Las Vegas.

On June 19, the PAC’s expenditures included nearly $5,000 spent at six wineries in Paso Robles and Santa Margarita, both outside his district in California, and about $5,000 to Gold Coast Limousine the same day.

Also listed was a hotel charge for $4,409 at Sea Venture, a hotel about 20 miles from Santa Margarita and located right on the beach.

All Boston, Vegas and winery charges were listed as fundraising expenses.

“I wish I could help you,” Nunes responded, when McClatchy approached him Wednesday with questions about his PAC spending. His office would not respond to requests for comment.

Leadership PACs such as the one Nunes runs are supposed to be used to allow members of Congress to donate money to other political campaigns, but using them for other expenses in connection with fundraising is common among members of Congress.

Nunes’ fame has grown enormously due to his position as House Intelligence Committee chairman, his friendly relationship with President Donald Trump and his controversial views about Department of Justice investigations.

Many Democrats and some Republicans see his efforts as attempts to discredit the investigation of special counsel Robert Mueller into the Trump campaign’s involvement with Russia during the 2016 presidential election.

As he has become better known, Nunes’ fundraising ability has grown.

Nunes has raised more than $7 million for his own 2018 reelection, compared with past years when he typically collected between $1 million and $2.5 million. The PAC, called New PAC, has also seen its fundraising climb year after year, and is currently on track to raise and spend more money over the 2017-18 cycle than it did in years past.