Schweikert big spender on equipment
Rep. David Schweikert outspent nearly every member of the House of Representatives on equipment purchases during the first three months of the new Congress, nearly topping a list dominated by freshman lawmakers setting up new offices.
Schweikert, a five-term Arizona Republican, spent $14,000 toward equipment in the first quarter of this year, according to congressional spending records. By contrast, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., spent $7,100 to start her office.
Only freshman Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., spent more on equipment than Schweikert in the first quarter, $16,000.
Most of Schweikert’s spending, nearly $13,000 of it, went to Total Office Interiors, a Phoenix-based company, as part of a February purchase.
Grace White, a Schweikert spokeswoman, said the purchase involved furniture upgrades to a new Scottsdale office that hadn’t been changed since Schweikert defeated former U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz., in 2010.
“When freshmen come into office, they often ‘inherit’ furniture from the former member of Congress which served the congressional seat,” she said in a statement.
As Schweikert relocated his office, after several security incidents, more than a dozen chairs and other furniture was deemed not worth moving and given to charity, or to new Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., White said.
“To replace that, 10 office chairs, 12 computer desk chairs, and 11 office chairs for the conference room were purchased,” she said. “These items are now going to stay with the office.”
Schweikert’s activity is notable in part because such purchases were a source of lax oversight allegedly abused by Oliver Schwab, his former chief of staff, according to an investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics.
That advisory office examined matters that are part of the separate, ongoing ethics investigation into Schweikert by the House Ethics Committee. OCE investigators described Schweikert’s office as having weak financial oversight, allowing Schwab for years to take home improper, extra pay that violated House ethics rules.
Schweikert did not participate in the OCE probe, meaning the Ethics Committee may serve as his first response to the allegations against him and his office in those matters.
Still, with Schwab gone since July 2018, Schweikert’s equipment spending remained among the highest on Capitol Hill. In the most recent quarter, he had the highest of any Republican House member.
The spending came from Schweikert’s taxpayer-funded House office budget, which covers expenses from staff salaries to travel costs. The budgets are controlled by the members to be spent largely as they see fit.
As a practical matter, equipment spending, however, was highest in the first quarter for those beginning their careers in Washington. Seven of the top 10 spenders for equipment at the outset of 2019 were first-term Democrats who helped change the House from GOP control.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was third on the list, with $13,000. Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., came in fifth on the list, spending $11,000.
Schweikert’s high spending equipment is not unusual.
Since at least 2017, he has topped Arizona’s delegation in that type of expense, House budget records show.
Schweikert has spent $45,000 since the beginning of 2017, a period that largely included Schwab’s tenure.
By comparison, Rep. Paul Gosar, RAriz., is the next closest at $28,000. Former Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., and his replacement, Rep. Debbie Lesko, RAriz., combined for $33,000. on