Former Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid used funds from his campaign to pay a former staffer $7,000 for painting his official portrait in the Capitol Building, The Washington Free Beacon reports.
Gavin Glakas received a check for $7,000 from Friends for Harry Reid for a "portrait," according to documents submitted to the Federal Election Commission. Glakas previously painted a portrait of Reid's wife Landra, which hung in his office. Neither Reid nor Glakas responded to the Beacon's requests for comments.
When Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., paid $64,500 for a custom-framed portrait using money from his leadership PAC in 2007, the FEC ruled that his use of campaign funds was acceptable.
"The U.S. House of Representatives is an organization described in section 170(c) of Title 26 and because payment for the portrait would not financially benefit Representative Rangel or any member of his family," the FEC said in an advisory opinion.
The FEC added that the funds could also be used because "the payment would not be an in-kind contribution for the purpose of influencing any election."
However, "advisory opinions apply only to the specific set of circumstances presented in the request, or identical circumstances," as an FEC press officer told the Free Beacon. "They provide a window into how the Commission has handled the issue in the past, but candidates/committees are encouraged to file advisory opinion requests when they are uncertain about whether their proposed conduct would conform with the FECA and Commission regulations."
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