Speaker Fabian Nunez says this is the worst publicity he's received during his time as leader of the state Assembly. And the Democrat says it's making him re-think future trade missions and foreign travel. He's talking about the flap over an article last week in the Los Angeles Times. The story detailed thousands of dollars in campaign money he spent on gifts, wine, and hotels while traveling.
Nunez says he'll explain some of the expenses.
Nunez : I have nothing to hide from anybody, but I refuse to give you the fullest explanation on each and every item for the last four-and-a-half years -- or three-and-a-half or whatever it is that are out there.
Nunez is talking about a few of the expenses. He says the thousands he spent at Louis Vuitton in Paris went to buy appropriate gifts for foreign dignitaries. And he says some expensive dining tabs were for large groups of people.
He says they're all legal and that it's better to use campaign money than taxpayer dollars. The Speaker says he's invited to Mexico and several Asian countries on trade trips in the future, and he's considering canceling them because of the flap over these revelations.
