Well, no wonder she refuses to drive an RV and instead flies Air Claire.
The Kansas City Star published an investigative report on Claire McCaskill’s (D-MO) husband’s personal income and found that businesses tied to him “have been awarded more than $131 million in federal subsidies” since she took office in 2007.
“Joseph Shepard’s personal income from his investments in those businesses has grown exponentially during his wife’s two terms in the Senate,” the report alleges.
The Star cross-referenced the Senator’s financial disclosure forms against federal awards data for businesses listed under the same name and ID numbers.
What they found was stunning.
Most of the federal money went towards operating costs for government-subsidized housing projects McCaskill’s husband is invested in.
Prior to her taking office, Shepard’s personal income from those investments ranged between $1,608 and $16,731. Just over a decade later, with the backing of federal subsidies, he lined his pockets from those investments to the tune of anywhere between $365,374 and $1,118,158.
Great gig, if you can get it.
LMAO
Your husband getting awarded $131 million is definitely For the People pic.twitter.com/SdkXEoUXym— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) July 24, 2018
The Kansas City Star is sure to note that none of the federal subsidies went to Shepard directly and there is no evidence that McCaskill took any action to help steer the money to his businesses.
Frankly, we’re a little surprised Claire didn’t put forth more of an effort to conceal these investments, similar to the effort she gave in trying to hide her use of a private plane with a price tag of over $1 million.
In 2017, McCaskill tried to block radar tracking information on her plane being broadcast on the internet through the FAA. Public records and the keen eye of a Washington Free Beacon reporter, however, were able to recently determine the flight path used when the Missouri Senator claimed she was on an RV tour across the state. Turns out, the interns were on the RV while she was flying to the same spots. (RELATED: Report: Claire McCaskill Used Private Plane On Her ‘RV Tour’).
I had a lot of fun piecing this one together:
GPS-based tracking info shows that Claire McCaskill’s private jet was used as campaign said it was using an RV to crisscross Missourihttps://t.co/jaRAYaZ8gP pic.twitter.com/69rWPIhUbF
— Brent Scher (@BrentScher) June 12, 2018
McCaskill opted to make a very generic statement in response to the report on her husband’s finances, saying she’s more worried about her constituents.
“Her only concern when doing her job in the Senate is what is best for the people of Missouri,” a spokeswoman for her campaign told the Star.
McCaskill is currently on our radar of ‘five Democrat seats at risk in the 2018 midterm elections.’ As a Democrat in a red state that supports President Trump, she has a difficult battle ahead. (RELATED: Five Democrat Senate Seats at Risk in Midterm Elections).
According to the Real Clear Politics average poll, McCaskill has a narrow one-point lead over challenger Josh Hawley.
She may need to invest every bit of her husband’s personal finances into the campaign if she plans on continuing her career in the Senate.
