Six staffers for one of Capitol Hill’s most outspoken deficit hawks traveled by private jet as part of a congressional investigation into the attempted assassination of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump — costing taxpayers nearly $18,000.
The aides for Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, then the top Republican on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and now the chair, flew in a chartered plane from Washington to Pittsburgh in the days after Trump was shot at a campaign rally in nearby Butler, Pennsylvania, according to Senate expenditure records reviewed by POLITICO.
The $17,827 flight, billed to New Flight Solutions Inc., constituted over 18% of the total amount the committee spent on travel and transportation between April 1 and Sept. 30, 2024.
The Cost Comparison
Traveling to Butler by car from Washington can take as little as five hours, while a direct flight is just over an hour.
An aide to Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), who was at that time the committee chair, spent less than $700 to travel to Butler for the same fact-finding trip. Aides for the top Democrat and Republican on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations — Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin — spent just over $900 and less than $700 on travel, respectively.
Two of Peters’ senior staffers each traveled on commercial flights to Pittsburgh for the same trip for under $400 each, Senate records show.
“Senator Peters is committed to the responsible use of taxpayer dollars, and staff used commercial air or standard ground transportation while conducting the bipartisan investigation,” a Peters spokesperson said.
The Defense
A Paul spokesperson defended the use of the private plane. “The Committee launched a year-long investigation into the Secret Service failures that let the attack happen, which included several trips to talk to participants and visit the scene,” said Drew Carmichael.
“This was the most efficient and effective means for the entire investigative team to participate in the investigative activities that day and followed all Senate rules and regulations,” he said, adding that there was “careful consideration of all available options.”
Carmichael would not answer specific questions about why Paul’s office believed flying private for a relatively short journey was the most cost-effective option, or whether Paul personally signed off on the arrangements.
The Ethics Question
Hiring a private jet for committee business is not against Senate rules, but it stands in stark contrast to Paul’s reputation as a fiscal conservative whose crusade against out-of-control federal spending has repeatedly put him at odds with members of his own party.
“Congressional ethics rules allow the use of official funds for official travel, but it is very rare for such expenses to include private airfare for staff,” said Kedric Payne, vice president of the Campaign Legal Center. “Private jet travel for staff raises many questions, and if this happened, the lawmakers involved owe taxpayers answers.”
One former longtime investigative staffer for a House committee said of the private plane expense: “I’ve never done that, and I haven’t heard of a similar situation before.” An ex-Trump administration official familiar with congressional travel logistics agreed it was “highly irregular for a private jet to be used by any committee staff.”
A Pattern of Private Jet Travel
Paul also has a history of using private planes for official travel through his personal Senate office. According to Senate expenditure records, Paul arranged a trip in mid-October 2024 through New Flight Solutions costing taxpayers $17,847, covering multiple cities in Kentucky.
Later that same month, he arranged for a $24,371 private jet to take him to other parts of the state. In early June 2025, his office listed an expenditure for a private plane for a Kentucky trip coming out to $4,732 for Paul’s transportation and $14,198 for three staffers.
In a statement, Carmichael explained that “Senator Paul strives to visit as much of Kentucky as possible and meet with as many constituents as he can during state work periods. One way to accomplish this is by helping him travel between locations more quickly.”
The Bottom Line
Sen. Rand Paul’s staff spent $17,827 on a private jet to travel to Butler, Pennsylvania, for a congressional investigation into the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. Other committee aides made the same trip by car or commercial flight for under $700. The expense is not illegal but stands in contrast to Paul’s reputation as a deficit hawk. Paul has a history of using private jets for official travel through his Senate office, campaign, and leadership PAC. Ethics experts say the expense raises questions about the use of taxpayer dollars.
