Democrat Rival Calls For Probe Of Coakley Campaign Expenses
BOSTON (AP) — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steven Grossman called for a probe of Attorney General Martha Coakley's campaign expenses on Thursday after reports that Coakley reimbursed the state for political expenses dating back to her 2010 re-election bid.
But Grossman, the state's treasurer, also acknowledged through a campaign spokesman that he reimbursed the state for political expenses in 2013.
In a statement, Grossman suggested the state's inspector general independently investigate Coakley's use of taxpayer's money and what he called her failure to reimburse the state in an appropriate and timely fashion.
"Taxpayers should not be subsidizing Martha Coakley's personal and political activities, and it's clear that they have been doing so for years," Grossman's statement read.
Coakley's campaign told The Boston Globe on Wednesday it was reimbursing the state nearly $11,000 in gas and mileage expenses related to her political activity over the last several years. As the state's top law enforcement official, Coakley travels with a state trooper in a state police vehicle as part of a security detail.
An aide said the campaign originally intended to reimburse the state once before the end of the current fiscal year and again at the end of the campaign for governor. When questions arose, the campaign said the decision was made to make the payment sooner.
The Republican newspaper of Springfield reported Thursday that Grossman reimbursed the state for campaign-related expenses between January 2011 and August 2013, after he was assigned a state security detail because of an unspecified threat.
A spokesman for the campaign told the newspaper that Grossman wrote a personal check last August to cover any political events he may have attended during that period.
Coakley and Grossman are among five Democrats seeking their party's nomination for governor.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
MORE LOCAL NEWS FROM CBS BOSTON
