Gillespie and Warner quarrel over use of charter planes

Ed Gillespie, the challenger in Sen. Mark R. Warner’s re-election bid for the U.S. Senate, has slammed his opponent for using chartered planes to travel the state at taxpayers’ expense.

“He wasn’t hitting the road (in Virginia); he was flying in style on a luxury jet from a company named Zen Air and charging taxpayers $8,500 for it,” Gillespie told reporters in a call Friday.

The Republican nominee and former chairman of the Republican National Committee responded to a story in USA Today on Thursday that detailed the senator’s trip to Southwest Virginia but noted that Sen. Timothy M. Kaine made a similar trip by car for a fraction of the cost of the plane lease.

“If you don’t want to drive, you could get a round-trip commercial flight from Dulles (International Airport) to Bristol for $350, or less than 5 percent of the cost of Senator Warner’s chartered luxury jet,” Gillespie said.

Gillespie also cited Warner’s Senate expenditure report, which shows that Warner took 32 flights for a total cost of $150,000 since assuming office in 2009.

“That’s about $5,000 per trip, averaging a charter luxury flight about every other month since he has been in office,” the Republican said.

Warner spokesman David Turner said the senator keeps “a breakneck schedule” and that in 2013, he participated in more than 150 official events all over Virginia.

“Occasionally, he uses charter flights to get from one end of the state to the other. But the fact is, Senator Warner is a careful steward of taxpayer dollars. During his time in the Senate, he has returned $1.6 million in unspent office allowance to the Treasury,” Turner said.

In regard to the Zen Air charters, Turner said Warner has “only used propeller planes, not luxury jets.”

He also called out Gillespie for criticizing Warner for something that he himself would do.

Gillespie on Friday said he could not rule out using charter flights, if elected, but would book only modest planes.

“We’re glad to see that Ed Gillespie has said he will hold himself to the same standard Senator Warner has set,” Turner said.

Story and Comments:   http://www.timesdispatch.com

Ed Gillespie, (left) the challenger in Sen. Mark Warner’s reelection bid for the U.S. Senate, has slammed his opponent for using chartered planes to travel the state at taxpayer’s expense.