[John Edwards] Poverty is his platform, but rich helped him fly

from The Charlotte Observer

Edwards relied heavily on corporate jets in presidential campaign
TIM FUNK

Poverty is his platform, but rich helped him fly Edwards relied heavily

on corporate jets in presidential campaign This year, former Sen. John Edwards is trying to turn America's attention to the issue of poverty. But the Tar Heel Democrat relied on rich businesses and law firms to fly him around the country when he was running for president in 2003 and 2004.

Edwards' campaign committee reported reimbursing corporations 120 times for air travel valued at $313,749. That was more than any other Washington politician -- including President Bush and other members of Congress -- according to the nonpartisan PoliticalMoneyLine (www.fecinfo.com).

The ex-N.C. senator flew a few times a week to fundraisers and other campaign events on corporate jets borrowed from, among others, Archer Daniels Midland Co., Hendrick Motorsports and Baron & Budd -- a Dallas law firm whose members are trial lawyers like Edwards used to be.

Federal elected officials are required to pay the corporations carting them around the price of a first-class ticket -- an amount that doesn't begin to cover the real cost.

Edwards flew -- and paid -- twice as much as Bush, the runner-up with 47 trips at $149,667. During his re-election campaign, the president sometimes took a break from Air Force One to jet to partisan events courtesy of Outback Steakhouse, FedEx and other corporations.

Overall, PoliticalMoneyLine's 2001-2005 report on political use of corporate aircraft found that the campaign committees of 192 members of Congress shelled out $2,248,998 so they wouldn't have to ride commercial like their constituents.

Besides Edwards, nine other members of Congress from the Carolinas paid to fly the corporate skies:

• Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., of Springdale, reimbursed $5,466 for five trips on jets belonging to Advance America, Pfizer, R.J. Reynolds, Schering-Plough and United States Telecom.

• Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., of Charlotte, paid $2,948 to UST Inc. (formerly US Tobacco) for two trips -- to a fundraiser for then-Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., in 2002 and one for then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, in 2003.

• Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. of Winston-Salem, took two trips, on UST Inc. and the National Association of Broadcasters, while still a House member. He paid $2,890.

• Rep. Charles Taylor, R-N.C., of Brevard, took one trip in 2005. He paid Group W Transportation $2,072.

• Rep. Henry Brown, R-S.C., of Hanahan, reimbursed UST Inc. $1,896 for one trip, in 2001.

• Then-Rep. Cass Ballenger, R-N.C., of Hickory, went to a DeLay fundraiser in 2002. He paid UST, Inc. $1,556.

• Ballenger's successor, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., of Cherryville, went to a DeLay event in 2004. He paid Rent-A-Center $1,236.

• Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., of Farmville, took one trip, on an R.J. Reynolds jet, in 2001. He reimbursed $533.

• Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., of Banner Elk paid $393 to Corrections Corp. of America for one trip in 2004.