TX Representative Joe Driver (R) double dips on expenses

[sonias]

AAS 8/17/10
Texas lawmaker vows to correct billing mistakes


AUSTIN, Texas — An anti-tax Texas lawmaker says he never should have pocketed thousands of dollars in taxpayer money for travel expenses that his campaign had already funded.

State House member Joe Driver made his comments after an Associated Press investigation.

He acknowledged in an interview that for years he has been submitting the same receipts to both his campaign and to the Texas House of Representatives.

(snip)

The Texas Democratic Party has called for a criminal investigation.

Oh my, mistakes were made! How could he have possibly known he was being reimbursed twice for the same expenses? :eyes:

Freaking liar! And of course the media gives him the "billing mistake" cover. :grr: Anti-tax my ass!

Driver represents District 113 - Garland area.

[sonias]

1. "It pretty well screws my week"

First Reading 8/17/10
Texas House is now really in play

(snip)
From Root’s story: “A north Texas state representative who rails against the evils of runaway government spending admitted Monday that he has pocketed thousands of dollars in taxpayer money for travel expenses that his campaign had already funded. Rep. Joe Driver, R-Garland, faced with findings from an investigation by The Associated Press, acknowledged in an interview that for years he has been submitting the same receipts — for luxury hotels, airline tickets, meals, fees and incidentals — to both his campaign and to the Texas House of Representatives. He has also been collecting thousands of dollars in state mileage reimbursements for travel in vehicles for which his campaign has shelled out more than $100,000 since 2000. The AP’s review of hundreds of pages of state and campaign travel records found that Driver double-billed for at least $17,431.55 in travel expenses, much of it at fancy out-of-state hotels, since 2005. The number could go higher, but House travel records before mid-2005 have already been destroyed. Driver has been in office for 18 years. The double-billing figure does not include the vehicle expenses.”

What’s almost as amazing as the story itself is Driver’s reaction to the findings. His initial effort at damage control made Linda Harper-Brown look like Karen Hughes.

“Now you’re scaring the heck out of me,” Driver told the AP, adding: “It pretty well screws my week.”

:kick:

[sonias]

2. Who is running against "double dipping" Joe

Texas Tribune 2010 Election Database

District 113
* Dorris, Jamie (D)
* Driver, Joe (R) *
* Machuca, Ron A. (L)

Maybe we can make some headway on this issue and cause a real race for this seat. It's not too late to throw the bum out!

:kick:

[WolverineDG]

3. I'm shocked to find gambling going on in here!

(Here's your winnings, sir)

Why am I not surprised?

dg

[sonias]

4. No surpise - especially from a "no tax" guy

The ones that whine the loudest about the size of government, are the ones pretty much taking full advantage of it.

Driver, Perry, Palin you name them.... :eyes:

[sonias]

5. Joe Driver one of many GOP officials caught in scandal

Lone Star Project 8/17/10
http://www.lonestarproject.net/
Joe Driver one of many GOP officials caught in scandal
Straus rewards rather than disciplines corrupt state representatives



The news yesterday that GOP State Representative Joe Driver has been routinely stealing from public coffers is unique only in his admission of wrong doing. Driver is just the most recent of the Republican elected officials who have been directly implicated in unethical and, in many cases, illegal behavior. One Republican official after another has been involved in ethical scandals making them unfit for public office.

Joe Driver (Republican, HD113 – Garland)
In a breaking news story yesterday, the Associated Press reported that 18-year Republican incumbent Joe Driver has been claiming reimbursement from taxpayers for expenses already covered by his campaign. He then pocketed the duplicate payments for elaborate expenses including luxury hotels and airline tickets. Driver has stolen nearly $18,000 in just the last few years ( Associated Press, August 16, 2010 ).

Linda Harper-Brown (Republican, HD105 – Irving)
Republican Linda Harper-Brown was known as a harshly partisan but relatively low profile legislator until the Dallas Morning News and WFAA-TV revealed that she has been driving a late model luxury Mercedes-Benz owned by a state transportation contractor. Harper-Brown sits on the House Transportation Committee and has aggressively advocated for legislation that would benefit the contractor who provided her the luxury sedan. Now known as Linda Harper-“Benz” , the embattled legislator is under investigation by the U.S. Attorney. The investigation may be expanded to include other financial violations by Harper-Brown ( Dallas Morning News, July 2, 2010 ).

Dwayne Bohac (Republican, HD138 – Houston)
Few public officials have so blatantly used their official office to advance their personal business while also engaging in partisan politics as Dwayne Bohac. Lone Star Project research and Houston media coverage have detailed how Bohac maintained a secret business relationship with a deputy voter registrar. Bohac’s “inside man” improperly acquired private driver license records for Bohac and also helped him promote election law used by partisan officials to deny individuals the right to vote. See the Lone Star Project's "Inside Man" video here.

Doc Anderson (Republican, HD56, Waco)
Anderson’s violations are simple and serious. He has repeatedly failed to pay his taxes. While Texans face an $18 billion budget shortfall, the wealthy central Texas veterinarian has taken profits and income from customers yet failed to file properly and make his tax payments. News accounts report that Anderson owes as much as $70,000 in back taxes and has at least two tax liens pending against him.

Texas GOP corruption! There is something very rotten in the Texas House. We need to clean it up! :puke:

[sonias]

6. Driver really doesn't like to "drive"

Burnt Orange Report 5/18/10
Rep. "No Show Joe" Driver Skips House Appropriations Hearing on Budget
Republican State Representative Joe Driver never wanted to sit on the House Appropriations Committee, but he was named to the powerful position anyway. With a projected $15-$18 billion budget shortfall facing the state of Texas, one would expect Rep. Driver to commit to serving fully on the Appropriations Committee throughout the interim.

But at last week's budget hearing, Rep. "No-Show-Joe" Driver was nowhere to be found. He should be sitting just to the right of Speaker Straus, in the middle of the back row. Only you can't see him, because he's not there:

Picture at the BOR link above.

Lots more over at BOR under their new post:
Rep. Joe Driver Stole From Texas Taxpayers and Is Lying to Cover It Up

:kick:

[white cloud]

7. We need to clean them out

come november

[sonias]

8. We need to clean the Texas House!

Yes we do!

:kick:

[sonias]

9. Driver's Ed

AAS 8/17/10
Lawmaker needs lesson on reimbursements
EDITORIAL BOARD

Let's call this one Driver's Ed, as in state Rep. Joe Driver, R-Garland, gets an education in something most other folks seem to know. It's this: One shouldn't get reimbursed for expenses for which you didn't pay. It's extra bad when it involves taxpayer money. Thanks to a report by Jay Root of The Associated Press, we now know that Driver a House member since 1993 and self-professed conservative watchdog of tax dollars has been watching some of those dollars flow into his bank account when he should have been forwarding them to his campaign account, which paid the expenses.


(snip)
Driver told the AP he thought what he was doing was OK. Frightening, isn't it, especially for a guy whose resume proudly lists 37 years of membership in the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.


(snip)
State dollars reimbursed Driver for expenses covered by his campaign, not by him.

(snip)
The expense account forms now say, "I certify that the expense account shown above is true, correct and unpaid." Maybe it should also ask, "Did somebody else pay for this stuff?"

Driver, former chairman of the House Law Enforcement Committee, now serves on the House Appropriations Committee, the one that doles out the money. Yikes.

(snip)
That's fine, but we believe the people of his North Texas district should take a long look at whether they want to re-elect him in November.

At best, what he did was stupid. At worst, it was criminal.

Let "No Show" Joe take his own " Diver's education" ethics class on his free time away from the Texas Legislature - kick him out!

:kick:

[sonias]

10. Driving Joe Out

DMN 8/18/10
Garland Rep. Joe Driver's ethics lapse turns his race into one to watch

The revelation that state Rep. Joe Driver pocketed thousands of dollars in taxpayer money for travel expenses that his campaign had already paid for has turned an obscure Texas House race into one to watch.

Driver, R-Garland , had been heavily favored for re-election against Jamie Dorris, a little-known Democrat now armed with an explosive issue to exploit.

But perhaps more significantly, local Republicans, who had planned to use ethics as an issue in the 2010 campaign, must now defend themselves against ugly public corruption allegations, making it harder to point the finger at Democrats.

(snip)
"The Republicans wanted to be on the offensive," said Democratic strategist Matt Angle. "Now, with the serious corruption and ethical lapses, they'll have to learn to play defense."

:bounce::bounce::bounce: