New York Attorney General Letitia James’ campaign spent nearly $250,000 on travel, dining, accommodation, and campaign consultants throughout the 2023 calendar year, according to recent campaign finance filings. A series of expenditures for trips to Puerto Rico between July and December, totaling over $13,500, are drawing particular scrutiny. Some of these payments were given descriptively labeled purposes like “compliance” or “advertising,” while others remained vague or unclear.
The James for NY 2026 campaign splurged on luxury airline flights, nightclub outings, and extensive consulting fees. James is not up for re-election until 2026. These expenditures included over $218,000 paid to various “campaign consultants” between March and December.
James, who won re-election as New York Attorney General in November 2022, earned national attention for prosecuting former President Donald Trump in a civil fraud case earlier this year. Campaign filings indicate that thousands of dollars were spent at hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs while the Trump case was ongoing.
Amid these affairs, James’ campaign also shelled out thousands at the 48 Lounge in New York City, a venue that prides itself on offering a “luxurious and intimate atmosphere.” Marked as a fundraising expense, this expenditure occurred in September 2023, with a price tag of over $5,000. Additionally, the campaign shelled out over $2,700, paid to multiple airlines between August and November. When questioned about campaign spending, representatives from James’s campaign offered no immediate response.
Other national figures in Democrat politics have been criticized for outsized campaign and public taxpayer spending on entertainment and travel. The National Pulse previously reported that both Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) have come under fire for spending thousands of dollars on flights, childcare, trips to Europe, and even Super Bowl tickets.
