Wolf supports investigation into DNC spending
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell greets Democratic National Committee representatives in 2014 in Philadelphia as the city lobbied to host the 2016 event. (AP file photo)
When Philadelphia hosted the Democratic National Convention last summer, Pennsylvania donated a $10 million taxpayer-funded grant to help finance it.
The convention’s host committee ended up with a $4 million surplus. None of that money made it back to the state, however, which has prompted several state officials to push for an audit.
Out of the surplus, about a million dollars went to bonuses for host committee employees.
Former Gov. Ed Rendell, a Democrat, chaired the panel, and confirmed those numbers to the Philadelphia Inquirer. He called the bonuses “appropriate.”
But state lawmakers aren’t so sure.
Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati, a Republican, has called for the state auditor general to investigate the DNC’s spending.
Gov. Tom Wolf said he’s also on board.
“There are a lot of questions about what did happen with the surplus,” he said, adding that “the integrity [of the committee] is something that people question.”
An independent audit already concluded the spending wasn’t inappropriate.
In a statement, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said he hadn’t yet received the necessary documents, but he intends to conduct his own review of the situation as soon as possible.
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