WASHINGTON — Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who’s made his crusade to slash federal spending the cornerstone of his GOP presidential run, has been habitually flying first class at taxpayer expense.
Paul has jetted first class on at least 31 round-trip flights and 12 one-way flights since May 2009 to travel between Washington and his Texas district, according to an Associated Press review of congressional office expenses.
Another four round-trip tickets and two one-way tickets were eligible for upgrades to first class. The records did not reveal if the upgrade was made.
Paul’s first-class flights on Continental Airlines cost taxpayers nearly $52,000 since 2009 — or about $27,000 more than flying coach.
The report riled the Paul campaign, which has staked his run on his reputation as a budget hawk.
“That was one of the junkiest, least-informed stories I have ever seen,” decried Paul campaign manager Jesse Benton.
While not disputing the amount of first-class airfare, he noted that Paul never takes taxpayer-paid junkets, opted out of the “lavish congressional pension system,” and every year returns some of his congressional office budget.
The unpredictability of Congress’ schedule forces Paul to buy first-class tickets, which, unlike economy tickets, are fully refundable, said Benton.
The records showed Paul purchased most of the tickets two or three weeks in advance.