Well, this is awkward. In its latest Federal Election Commission filing, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee accidentally listed two purchases from a boutique women’s underwear store.
In the filing, the campaign committee said it spent $138.65 on September 11 and $108.75 on September 23 at Bloomer’s on O St. in Georgetown. That Bloomer’s sells high-end negligees, has an “Evolution of the Thong” blog post on its website, and offers a “panty of the month” subscription package.
Turns out the two line items were supposed to be for flower purchases at a Bloomers florist in San Francisco. “The expense to Bloomers was actually a florist in San Francisco, and the line item will be amended with the FEC,” says DCCC spokeswoman Emily Bittner.
Bittner did not explain how the address for the undergarments shop made its way into the FEC filing, but National Review Online did review invoices for the two purchases from the other Bloomers, and the DCCC has previously purchased flowers there on numerous occasions.
One colorful item that wasn’t a mistake was the DCCC’s $514 purchase on September 30 at W. Curtis Draper, a high-end tobacconist one block from the White House. The store bills itself as the third-oldest tobacconist in the country and was chosen to introduce several famous cigar lines into the U.S. market.
Bittner said the tobacco purchase was for an event and noted the National Republican Congressional Committee hosts an annual cigar night for people who donate at least $5,000.