During Duckworth’s time as a Rod Blagojevich appointee, Duckworth – one of the least effective members of Congress, skipped work to attend a campaign event. As the Washington Examiner reports, Duckworth violated Illinois law that day by misusing a state vehicle for political activity.
Eight years later, Duckworth still hasn’t paid back the people of Illinois for her ride on their dime:
…she wasn’t careful enough to avoid using a state-owned Dodge van to attend the event. This violated a separate law that prohibited state property or resources from being used for politicking…there is no record of Duckworth ever reimbursing taxpayers for the misused vehicle.
As they subsidize her VA whistleblower retaliation settlement, Illinois taxpayers can add this latest instance of utter waste to Tammy’s tab.
FLASHBACK:
Duckworth’s Whistle Blower Settlement Covered Attorney’s Fees And $9,000 To Each Plaintiff For A Total Of $40,000. "The original settlement offer was reported to be around $26,000, with the attorney general’s office paying for the employees’ attorney fees and other court costs. But Butler and Goins said the offer really was more like $40,000, with $21,000 of that sum paying for attorney’s fees and another $9,000 provided to each plaintiff." (Kerry Lester, “Women reject settlement in Duckworth workplace retaliation lawsuit,” Daily Herald, 7/27/16)
After she was busted for improperly claiming homestead exemptions, Duckworth was forced to pay back thousands in taxes and late fees.
When will Duckworth do the same for her illegal politicking?
Read more from the Washington Examiner:
No evidence Tammy Duckworth paid back taxpayers for misusing state vehicle
Washington Examiner
By Ashe Schow
August 23, 2016
Eight years ago, Illinois Rep. Tammy Duckworth used a state-owned vehicle to drive to a campaign event, violating a state law that prohibits government employees from campaigning using taxpayer funds.
At the time, Duckworth was a state employee, the director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. She had scheduled a day off from her job in order to attend the campaign event, which was being held for then-congressional candidate Dan Seals.
"The state is very clear [so] we are very, very careful about taking personal leave, personal time, to come and do these types of things," Duckworth said, according to the Chicago Tribune. "I am here as a private person, and I took time off from work today to be here."
But as careful as Duckworth was to take time off from her job to campaign for Seals, she wasn’t careful enough to avoid using a state-owned Dodge van to attend the event. This violated a separate law that prohibited state property or resources from being used for politicking.
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"She will reimburse the state for the use of the state vehicle, and will not make this mistake again," said spokeswoman Jessica Woodward.
But there is no record of Duckworth ever reimbursing taxpayers for the misused vehicle. Duckworth is now running for U.S. senator in Illinois.
In the spring of 2015, the National Republican Senatorial Committee sent a series of Freedom of Information Act requests to various Illinois state agencies to find out whether Duckworth ever repaid taxpayers. In March 2015, they sent a request to the Illinois Department of Central Management Services for records of Duckworth "recompensing the state as promised for personally misusing state vehicles"…In April 2015, the NRSC sent a request to the Illinois Office of the Comptroller and the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs for the same.
CMS could not locate "any records responsive to this part of your request." The comptroller said it did "not possess anything responsive to your request" and directed the NRSC to contact the IDVA. The IDVA could not locate "any documents responsive to your request."
The closest thing to evidence of Duckworth repaying taxpayers is a mention in a 2012 Daily Herald article claiming the former IDVA director "apologized for the mistake and reimbursed the state for use of the vehicle." The article does not mention what evidence there is to suggest Duckworth paid back the state, and appears to have just assumed based on the congresswoman’s claim that she would pay the money back four years earlier.
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It still seems odd that the NRSC received a response from the state agencies (they weren’t ignored or stonewalled) but that those state agencies couldn’t find evidence Duckworth repaid taxpayers.
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…there is no concrete evidence she made the payment except for the campaign’s say-so.
The Duckworth campaign did not provide a comment prior to press time.