Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree has gotten a lot of attention for her luxury trips to the Virgin Islands. Now it appears Pingree’s not the only Maine politico who enjoys a Caribbean getaway from time to time. According to financial disclosure forms filed with the U.S. Senate, Angus King owns his own piece of paradise – a vacation home on St. Thomas called ‘Windswept Villas’.
Pingree put her political ambitions on hold this year, passing up a chance to run for Olympia Snowe’s senate seat so her good friend Angus could run instead. Pingree and King have described themselves as close personal friends, and have spent holidays together, along with Pingree’s billionaire hedge fund husband Donald Sussman.
Sussman has used his residence in the Virgin Islands to keep from paying taxes on hedge fund management fees. Now a group of Sussman associates has been implicated in an unraveling bribery scandal on the islands, involving the governor, the Department of Justice, and many top-level USVI government officials. Sussman has refused to comment on the issue so far, and Pingree claims she has never met the officials involved.
It is unclear how deep the Virgin Islands ties between Pingree/Sussman and King are. King’s campaign didn’t return requests for information.
Below is a video for Windswept Villas:
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The mainstream media will ignore this, but they never fail to make a big deal out of the occasional family vacations that Governor LePage takes in Jamaica.
I love how the right wing defends Romney’s five houses and huge income but then attacks King for owning a vacation home. Hypocrites.
We started a long time ago, when he bought that gas guzzling $100,000+ motor home; and then there is the oceanside estate at Indian Point; his motorcycle….best all are his lavish gifts to himself of public subsidies.
Romney has been far more successful than King ever will be; thus the wealth disparity.
I am certain that King Angus has never used the VI for a tax dodge.
http://truth-out.org/news/item/9321-kansas-governor-signs-bill-for-massive-tax-cuts
Kansas Governor signs bill to cut income tax.
I am as conservative as anyone, and I fail to see any issue with Angus owning a small 2-bedroom condo in the Carribean. The Maine Wire, which I truly appreciate, does itself and Conservatism a dis-service when running articles like this.
Focus reporting on real priorities to shrink the size of government, lower taxes and make government spending more effective. These priorities increase employment; business growth and support sustainable economies.
When reporting on candidates backgrounds focus on how they have performed and what they have achieved in support of or against these priorities.
You’re certain he never flew on AIR SUSSMAN’s V.I. express?
it can be important. especially if the governor is about to be arrested for bribery and corruption and ties to corporations dealing in blood diamonds from africa (that last bit of info came out this week). just some food for thought. http://www.cruciansinfocus.com for more info on the “selected” governor of the VI.
When I watched the video, many of the vistas had ridges. It is called “Windswept” Villas. Egads! After doing such a great job of destroying the mountains in Roxbury for his Record Hill Wind farce, instead of running for Senate, King should develop industrial wind sites on those St. Thomas ridges. I’m sure he would enjoy the view as much as the folks from Roxbury Pond enjoy his twenty two 479 foot tall behemoth machines in Maine’s paradise!
Speaking of Record Hill Wind, the scam of King & Gardner securing the loan guarantee from the government MUST BE a campaign issue. Electing King is a guarantee that he will vote to continue wasting taxpayer money on wind power that doesn’t work.
The image here is the Flathead Mt. part of the Record Hill Wind fiasco.