U.S. Rep. Dale Strong’s campaign paid for NYC trip to support Trump during trial

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Huntsville-area Congressman Dale Strong traveled to New York Tuesday to support former President Donald Trump at his criminal trial.

Viewers asked News 19 if the trip was taxpayer-funded. We asked the Strong campaign and his congressional office how the trip was paid for, and we were eventually told it was paid for through Strong’s campaign account.

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A web search shows the cost of a flight from Huntsville to New York ranges between $200 and $400, depending on the dates.

There are some strict rules in campaign finance law on how money can be spent for personal use, but there are some exceptions for campaign travel and office-holder travel.

Federal campaign finance records show the Strong campaign has $492,416 cash on hand. The campaign has spent $447,119 since January 2023.

Trump is facing multiple counts of falsifying business records in a case prosecutors say stemmed from his efforts to cover-up hush money payments to a former porn star. Trump has denied having any relationship with the woman and has said the case against him is based on politics, not the law.

Strong, who was first elected in 2022, echoed those comments during his visit to the trial on Tuesday while speaking to the media outside the courthouse, flanked by Trump’s son Don Jr. and others.

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“I wanted to come here and see it myself, so the common people of this country could understand what’s going on,” Strong said Tuesday. “It’s election interference at a level never seen before.”

Strong won the Republican primary for the 5^th Congressional District in March. He does not have a Democrat running against him in November.

News 19 asked Strong’s spokesperson how the New York trip was campaign-related, but we’ve not yet received a response.

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