Show Si the Money

President George Bush raised over $1 million at an Indian Hill fundraiser last week for Ohio Republican Sen. Mike DeWine -- and taxpayers should get some of it, Sherrif Simon Leis Jr. contends.

Leis wrote DeWine's campaign a letter Tuesday asking that the sheriff's department be reimbursed $7,421.54 for security services his deputies and department provided for Bush's Feb. 23 fundraiser.

The reason is that Bush was here only for a fundraising event and not to make an official visit.

"If the President appears and does a fundraiser but is also here on official business, we wouldn't bill them," Sheriff's spokesman Steve Barnett said.

The idea isn't a new one for Leis.

He's sent similar bills to Republicans and Democrats when security was needed for fundraising trips.

Tuesday's itemized bill includes:

- $780 for use of the Sheriff's helicopter

- $2,385 for cruiser and bomb unit vehicle costs

- $4,256.54 for personnel for regular and overtime hours for 25 employees.

UPDATE:
The DeWine campaign isn’t planning to reimburse the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department for the expense of President Bush’s visit.

"The campaign will pay all expenses required by the president’s visit," Brian Seitchik, a spokesman for the DeWine campaign, said Wednesday.

But when asked if that means the campaign will pay only what is required by law, Seitchik responded in the affirmative.

According to Ian Stirton a spokesman at the Federal Election Commission, campaign finance rules don’t require the campaign to reimburse local law enforcement officials for the cost of providing security.

"It comes up quite a bit when the president goes into small communities that can’t afford the security costs," Stirton said. "Once in a while, the campaign will reimburse them."

Campaign finance law also doesn’t require the campaign to pay for the cost of the Secret Service agents who accompany the president, or those who made "several visits" to the Housers home before the event to for security purposes.

In fact, despite a White House claim that no public funds would be used to pay for the fundraiser, the only expense the campaign is required by law to pay is that of a first-class airline ticket for the president and anyone traveling with the president specifically for the purpose of attending the fundraiser FYI, a first-class ticket from Washington National Airport to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport purchased two weeks ahead of time costs between $312 and $1,237, depending on whether it’s a nonstop flight.