Kosmas Campaign Plans to Keep Tainted Rangel Money

Glass Houses
Kosmas Campaign Plans to Keep Tainted Rangel Money
What about Her Shady Art Deal?

(Oviedo, FL) - People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. In yesterday's Orlando Sentinel, the Kosmas campaign said they plan to keep the tainted money that Kosmas received from Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-NY).

Even the liberal New York Times editorial board joined other newspapers from around the country in calling on Rangel to step aside as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. While this drama unfolds, the hypocritical Kosmas Campaign and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) are running a smear campaign accusing Tom Feeney of guilt by association. The DCCC received $243,000 from convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and has pumped thousands of dollars into Kosmas' campaign. Rangel, the chairman of the committee that oversees the IRS has an ethical cloud over him for his own personal tax filings yet Kosmas plans to keep the $14,000 she received from him. Even the Democratic National Committee returned the $100,000 they received.

Years ago, when Tom Feeney found out Jack Abramoff was dishonest and corrupt, he gave the $1,000 contribution to charity. Furthermore, when Tom realized there was a concern about the Scotland trip and trip sponsor, Tom proactively took it upon himself to request an opinion from the House Ethics Committee on how to proceed to ensure that all legal and ethical steps were taken. He immediately followed their direction, and wrote a personal check to the U.S. Treasury.

The Feeney Campaign asks Ms. Kosmas to follow the Feeney Example and show the same type of transparency on her shady art deal and turn herself in for a review by the Florida Ethics Commission for her alleged abuse of power.

The one time Kosmas had any budgetary authority, as a board member on the selection committee of the Volusia County Cultural Arts Advisory Board, she recommended that the county buy a sculpture for $25,300 when the budget was set at $12,000. She doubled the cost to taxpayers. Later, it was discovered that the artist contributed $1,000 to Kosmas' campaign. This raises very serious ethical questions about the relationship between the contribution to Kosmas and her decision to exceed her spending authority by over 100% to benefit one of her donors.

If Kosmas cannot be trusted with a $12,000 taxpayer budget, how can she be trusted with a $3 trillion taxpayer budget?

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