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SALT LAKE CITY — A request for a Federal Election Commission investigation into campaign spending by Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, was filed Wednesday by his primary opponent, Chia-Chi Teng.
The six-page letter submitted by Teng to the commission cites "concerns about poor disclosure and the misappropriation of funds" in several instances, including what he described as "suspicious campaign account activity."
Teng's letter refers to more than $3,200 in expenses Chaffetz claimed for a Thanksgiving 2014 stay at the St. Regis Hotel in Deer Valley, as well as reimbursements for hotel stays and baby-sitting in Washington, D.C.
The letter also says Chaffetz "believes that personally benefiting through the accruement of Delta SkyMiles is an appropriate reason to seek reimbursement for costs rather than having them directly paid by the campaign."
Teng said the use of a personal credit card by Chaffetz is "deliberate, self-serving and more complicated rather than simplistic." Other issues Teng raised include the campaign vehicle use and "a large number" of undocumented personal expenses."
Chaffetz faces Teng in the June 28 GOP primary despite a win at the party's state convention last Saturday because Teng gathered voter signatures to qualify for the ballot. He dismissed Teng's efforts in a statement.
"This is a baseless, attention-grabbing move by an ill-advised opponent. My campaign's reports and practices are thoroughly vetted by certified public accountants and outside counsel. I am in full compliance with the FEC and have always been in good standing with the commission," Chaffetz said.
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Challenger asks Chaffetz to shed more light on his financial reports
Chia-Chi Teng said his campaign’s analysis of Chaffetz’ Federal Election Commission reports found $77,251 of the $513,634 reimbursement total dating back to 2007 had not been itemized.In asking for an investigation, Teng said it should be incumbent upon Chaffetz "to exhibit impeccable judgment in the issuance of his own campaign reports" as the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Much of the material submitted to the FEC was distributed to the media earlier this month by Teng, a former software developer at Microsoft who is now an associate professor at BYU.
