Ray Sansom's Credit Card Problem

I loved how former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom would tout his fiscal conservatism. Sansom spent $173,000 on a Republican Party of Florida issued American Express card. Records showed Sansom used his RPoF credit card for personsal expenses.

• $348 for personal babysitting services from Nanny Can in December 2006.

• $320 at Cole Haan in Destin in May 2008 and $224 at Kenneth Cole in October 2007.

• $1,953 for tuxedo rentals.

• $69.50 for fabric and yarn at Jo-Ann Fabrics in Fort Walton Beach in March 2007.

Sansom charged meals in restaurants as disparate as Diva in the SOHO district of Manhattan and Burger King in Orlando. He bought subscriptions to Time and Sports Illustrated.

Sansom never reimbused the RPoF for his credit card expenses. Republican State Sen. Don Gaetz called Sansom and asked if he was willing to reimburse the RPoF.

"I asked him if he used the party credit card to fly his family to Europe and he said that he did but said he offered to pay the party back. He said Chairman Greer did not accept the check."

The media asked RPoF chairman Jim Greer if he attempted to have Samsom repay the money. Greer gave a truly bizarre response.

"Mhhhhhaaaaaaaaaawwwww," Greer bellowed with laughter.

If I was a Republican, I would be angry this clown was running the RPoF. Greer eventually got around to (sort of) answering the question.

"There was some discussions I had with the speaker last year when I made the decision to end the ability to spend (translation: He took Sansom's card away) and there were some talk about reimbursement. But they never came to fruition. The party was never reimbursed," Greer said."That's all I'll say."

Translation: Greer is not going to press Sansom to repay the money. Republicans treat donations the same as tax dollars. As long as it is not their money they don't care.