The story of Laura Richardson continues.
Today's update comes from Gene Maddaus at the Daily Breeze. He reports the freshman Long Beach congresswoman is driving the most expensive car of any member of the House of Representatives -- at taxpayers' expense.
Richardson is driving a 2007 Lincoln Town Car, with a $1,300 per month lease, according to the Breeze.
About 130 representatives leased cars last year, according to a report compiled earlier this year by Taxpayers for Common Sense. Most were in the range of $400 to $800 per month.
Richardson's 2007 lease costs show up on a more recent congressional spending report, because she did not pay the bill until February. According to the report, her first bill was for $1,299, and covered a one-month period from mid-October to mid-November. She then paid a prorated amount of $2,035 for the 45-day period from mid-November to the end of the year.
That makes her lease $300 more expensive than the costliest car in the Taxpayers for Common Sense report. As of last winter, the newest member of Congress had far and away the most expensive car in the House of Representatives.
"A $1,300 lease is a gold-plated lease," said Keith Ashdown, chief investigator for the watchdog group. "Because it's federal money and not their personal money, they're not looking for the best value."
Rep. Diane Watson, D-Los Angeles, also leases a 2007 Lincoln Town Car, but she pays only $686 per month for it.
According to a former staff member, Richardson insisted that her Lincoln be specially customized, which may explain the high cost.
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.
Other recent Richardson stories include her multiple default mortgage payments and not paying her car mechanic and driving a city-owned car for a year and 30,000 miles, apparently, for personal use.
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