DCCC - Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

13/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 13/08/2024 21:13

NEW: “GOP Rep. Ryan Zinke’s campaign spent cash on fine dining, luxury stays”

New reporting further exposes DC politician Ryan Zinke's history of using public office to serve himself, spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars and campaign cash on "lavish purchases."

In this election cycle alone, Zinke spent more than $80,000 of campaign funds on "gourmet meals, luxury hotel stays, and private transportation."

This follows his pattern of wasting taxpayer dollars as Interior Secretary, spending more than $176,000 on a "private jet," "security detail… on a mediterranean vacation," and "new office doors."

This is just the start of Zinke's pattern of corruption. From selling off public land access to out-of-state corporations, to selling out Montana farmers to Chinese land speculators, Zinke will do anything to stay in Washington and continue enriching himself.

DCCC Spokesperson Mallory Payne:
"Ryan Zinke only cares about funding his lavish lifestyle, not delivering for Montana families. That's why he has still yet to come up with a plan to address the housing crisis. Montana families deserve better than a corrupt politician who prioritizes himself over people."

Read more below.

  • Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke's campaign has spent large amounts of donor cash on lavish trips and meals. Zinke was scrutinized for similar spending habits in his previous role as Secretary of the Interior under former President Donald Trump.

  • According to campaign finance disclosures, Zinke's campaign spent nearly $80,000 on gourmet meals, luxury hotel stays, and private transportation in 2023 and 2024.

  • Between February and December 2023, Zinke's campaign spent more than $16,000 at the Capitol Hill Club, a private restaurant and social space for Republicans in Washington D.C. In this same period, nearly $9,000 was spent in the U.S. Senate cafeteria. All of these expenses were coded as meeting and catering costs.

  • In July 2023, Zinke's campaign spent $1,237 at Duck and Peach, another trendy D.C. eatery. That same month, the campaign spent more than $6,500 at The Lark, a boutique hotel and event space in downtown Bozeman, MT.

  • Many of the campaign's expenses were outside of Washington D.C. and Montana. In June 2023, Zinke's campaign spent $1,500 at the Samuel Adams Brewhouse in the Atlanta, GA airport. A few months later, the campaign spent $610 at another Samuel Adams Brewhouse in Boston, MA.

  • On January 17 and 26 of this year, the campaign spent more than $600 at a cheese shop in Santa Barbara, CA. The shop also sells imported wines.

  • Zinke's campaign has also paid for luxury hotels that it labeled as routine travel expenses. In February 2024, the campaign paid for a room at the Four Seasons in Surfside, FL. That same month, $423 was spent at the five star St. Regis Hotel in New York City.

  • During the New York trip, Zinke's campaign spent $200 in "meeting expenses" at Lavo, a now-closed upscale nightclub with bottle service.

  • Zinke has a history of using work funds for lavish purchases. In June 2017, when Zinke was serving as Secretary of the Interior, his office spent $12,000 of taxpayer money on a private jet from Las Vegas, NV to Glacier Park, MT. Two months later, his office paid $25,000 for a security detail to accompany him on a mediterranean vacation.

  • In November 2017, Zinke's office spent $139,000 of taxpayer money on new office doors.

  • A Zinke campaign spokesperson did not respond to questions for this story.