Not only is she soaking banks for her defaulted loans -- she's also soaking the taxpayers for a bloated car lease.

When she arrived in Congress last fall, Rep. Laura Richardson sought out a vehicle that would match her newfound status.

She settled on a 2007 Lincoln Town Car - the choice of many representatives who lease their vehicles at taxpayers' expense. But hers was distinct: at $1,300 a month, it was the most expensive car in the House of Representatives.

Richardson, a Democrat who represents Carson, has since become known for defaulting on two home loans and losing a third house - in an upscale neighborhood in Sacramento - at a foreclosure auction.

Interestingly enough, another California congresswoman is leasing the same sort of vehicle -- for roughly half of what Richardson is paying.

Not that Richardson's office wants to come clean on her car expenses.

Richardson's spokesman, William Marshall, initially stated that Richardson is paying only $940 per month for her Town Car, but gave no documentation of that. After he was presented with the expense report showing the $1,300 lease amount, he declined to answer further questions.

"No comment," he said.

Indeed.

But there's a whole lot more -- unauthorized drives, unreported repairs, tickets -- check out the whole sordid tale here.

Posted by: Greg at 01:26 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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