Nice:

“Rick Saccone, promised no legislative perks in Harrisburg ― called them lavish, then gobbled them up, spending $435,000 taxpayer dollars on himself,” a narrator in the TV ad, “Clean House,” intones as black ink splashes a white canvas.

The ad buy will include digital video ads and a 30-second television spot attacking Republican Rick Saccone for reportedly questionable use of his expense account as a state representative.

The Democratic political action committee End Citizens United is buying about $250,000 worth of advertisements in support of Conor Lamb , the Democratic candidate in the special election for Pennsylvania’s vacant 18th District.

The Intercept highlighted Saccone’s excessive and wasteful spending using taxpayer dollars:

The expenses records, obtained by The Intercept through a Pennsylvania Right to Know Act request, show that in his first seven years as a state representative, Saccone spent $435,172 in taxpayer money using his expense account.

Saccone is taking on Democratic candidate Conor Lamb for the 18th Congressional District, a seat vacated by Tim Murphy, an anti-abortion lawmaker who left Congress after the revelation last year that he had pressured his mistress to seek an abortion.

Pennsylvania provides state lawmakers with generous salaries and expense policies, allowing them to bill the government for activities they deem as necessary for their job. Previous investigative reports have found that Pennsylvania state lawmakers of both parties routinely spend tens of thousands of dollars on a range of expenses, including parties and decorations.

But Saccone’s profligate use of the legislative expense account may come as a surprise. He was elected in 2010 during the tea party wave on a pledge to cut government spending. While in office, he has supported slashing the budgets for K-12 education, childhood education programs, public libraries, child welfare, and other state programs.

Records maintained by the Pennsylvania General Assembly show that Saccone has billed taxpayers for a variety of questionable expenses, including 36 line items for various flag and flag accessory purchases totaling $4,436.30. The records also show that Saccone has spent $117,400 to lease an office from Dowling Properties, a real estate company founded by Celine Dowling, a campaign donor to Saccone. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Pennsylvania lawmakers earn a base salary of $87,180, second only to their counterparts in California. The per diem rates can vary based on time of year, but the full per diem rate in 2016 was $175, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The expense accounts effectively allow lawmakers to increase their pay. Though the per diems are designed for food and accommodations while at the state capital, lawmakers are allowed to pocket the difference if they spend less than the per diem rate, or nothing at all.