$150,000 Sarah Palin shopping spree pronounced legal

Washington, May 20 (ANI): The purchase of 150,000 dollars worth of clothes for former Republican Vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family has been cleared by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

The commission's decision follows a 5-0 vote taken late last month, an announcement regarding which was made on Tuesday.

The step was taken after a left-leaning watchdog group, known as Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), accused the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Palin of violating the ban on "personal use" of campaign cash by paying for a shopping spree for the Alaska Governor's family at high-end stores.

The FEC ruled that the RNC and Palin did not constitute a prohibited personal use because that provision applies only to money raised by candidates, not by party committees.

"Gov. Palin states that the RNC used its own funds to make the expenditures for the clothing and accessories, and not the funds in the campaign account of any candidate," the Politico quoted the FEC as writing in an explanation sent to CREW on Tuesday.

"We have no information to the contrary. As such, no candidate funds were converted to 'personal use,'" the commission wrote.

Following the FEC decision, Palin's spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton reiterated that her boss was the victim of media bias.

"We are pleased to learn that all the purchases and decisions made by senior campaign staffers, and paid for by the RNC and returned to the RNC, were all done according to the law," she said in a statement.

"It is difficult to reconcile the obsessive reference to clothing on the campaign trail with any legitimate political issue and that leaves the unsettling conclusion that Governor Palin is the single national political figure who is critiqued on policy, family and clothing. When people start asking details about the personal effects of other candidates, then maybe the double standard will be eliminated," she added.

CREW spokeswoman Naomi Seligman has revealed that the group does not plan to appeal against the decision. (ANI)