Old Campaign Fund Buys Sweeney Meals, Cigars

Records show New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney has been spending an old campaign fund on cigars and steak dinners.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports Sweeney spent $765 on cigars, $1,118 for dinner at a Washington restaurant and more than $10,000 for political meetings at southern New Jersey restaurants between January and September.

The money came from his Gloucester County freeholder re-election fund. But Sweeney stepped down from the freeholder board in December.

Sweeney tells the newspaper he'll be shutting down the account later this year.

The fund had nearly $80,000 at the start of the year, but it's down to under $5,000.

Sweeney has also used money from the account to pay for polling and to contribute to the Gloucester County Democratic Committee.