A Few Specter News Notes

Pennsylvania’s junior Democrat in the Senate has been in the news lately, in places you might not have noted, so here’s a quick round up:

“Lawmakers’ travel reports understate true cost,” by Brody Mullins and T. W. Farnam, Wall Street Journal July 3-5, focused on Specter, as an example of what reports do and do not reveal. Here’s an excerpt:

On Christmas Day, Sen. Arlen Specter flew to Europe and the Middle East for 11 days of meetings with government officials.

The travel-disclosure form the Pennsylvania Democrat filed for the trip reported the seven-country tour with his wife, an aide, and two military officials on a private military jet cost $571 a person, or a total of about $2,500.

The real cost was far higher, in excess of $70,000, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.

We also learn that “Specter pays for his wife’s share of accommodations out of his own pocket” and that Specter spent less on food and accommodations than his aide did.

Next up, from the June 29th Roll Call, “Colleagues Help Fill Specter’s Coffers,” by Shira Toeplitz. We find out that:

Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) has received about $70,000 so far from his Democratic colleagues in the Senate since he announced he was switching parties in April, according to a source familiar with the donations.

And last, but not least, the latest issue of Politics Magazine has an interview with Specter’s campaign manager, Chris Nichols. Interesting stuff. He notes that he is a GOP consultant whose client became a Democrat; he did not sign up a Democratic client. When asked about Sestak he notes that in 2006 the current congressman benefited from having Rendell, et al, clear the path. Behind a subscription wall (and you can't copy and paste from the online zinio version) so you'll have to find a copy and read for yourself.