TAMPA BAY, Florida - When 10Investigates and the Tampa Bay Times identified more than 100 former Congressmembers who kept active "Zombie" accounts - campaign accounts that kept spending long after the campaigns were over - it didn't include any politicians who had left Congress in the last two years.
However, there appears to be a growing number of Zombies-in-Training in the president's cabinet.
Seven current or former cabinet members have kept campaign accounts active since leaving their posts in Congress, according to a recent report by nonprofit money-in-politics watchdog MapLight.
'Schoolhouse Mock:' What are Zombie campaigns?
They include Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Secretary of Housing & Urban Development Ben Carson, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Dir. of the Office of Management & Budget Mick Mulvaney, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior Dan Coats, and Former Sec. of Health & Human Services Tom Price.
The WTSP/Times investigation revealed how lawmakers on both sides of the aisle took advantage of federal campaign law loopholes to keep campaigns spending long after the campaigns were done - often, on items and services that seemed to violate federal laws on personal use.
There are several efforts underway to close the loopholes following the February investigation.
10Investigates' Noah Pransky explains more in this short clip.
