The campaign committee of Rep. Dan Crenshaw went globe-trotting, dropping thousands of dollars on foreign travel expenses from France and Italy to Croatia and the Philippines, according to Crenshaw’s most recent filing with the Federal Election Commission.
Crenshaw lost in a Texas Republican primary in March and will exit Congress in January.
The campaign reported spending around $1,200 on “event catering” at a Croatian Michelin star restaurant, $490 for “meeting expense[s]” between a Filipino nightclub and Parisian restaurant and nearly $320 for lodging at a boutique hotel in Rome, FEC records indicate.
From late July through September, the campaign reported spending over $9,000 on airfare. The bulk of that money funded flights with United Airlines, but the campaign additionally used two Greek airlines and Air France over the last three months.
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While not international, Crenshaw’s campaign also dropped nearly $700 on “event catering” at Casa Tua’s Aspen, Colorado, restaurant and lounge in August, according to FEC records.
The purpose and exact timing of these trips is unclear. The Crenshaw campaign reported paying for them during July, August and September. A representative for Crenshaw could not be reached for comment Thursday evening.
Running in a redrawn district, Crenshaw lost to Steve Toth, a conservative member of the Texas House of Representatives, who slammed the congressman for rejecting claims of fraud in the 2020 election.
While Crenshaw couldn’t get President Donald Trump’s endorsement, Toth was backed by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, Turning Point Action and the Freedom Caucus Fund.
“A large part of this election was about the power of clickbait … Memes became truth. Too many people are not discerning through the clickbait,” Crenshaw told The Texas Tribune after his loss. “The truth didn’t matter to people.”
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