Fiscal responsibility.

It is the mantra of the Tea Party. One of its “core values.”

So it is of particular interest that the Venetian Casino Resort in Las Vegas has just sued a Tea Party group for allegedly ducking out on a more than $600,000 tab.

According to the lawsuit, the Tea Party Nation Corporation of Franklin, Tennessee booked more than 1,000 hotel rooms, conference suites and other services for a five-day convention in July last year. Two weeks before the event, however, the Tea Party group canceled, leaving a balance of $554,148 due to the Venetian.

“Despite numerous requests for payment,” the Venetian's lawyers claim, the Tea Party Nation “has refused, and continues to refuse, to make payment.”

Apparently there was a clause in the hotel contract calling for 18 percent a year interest – which means the Venetian is demanding that the Tea Party Nation fork over nearly $88,000 in addition to the hotel bill, for a grand total of $642,144.

Tea Party Nation head Judson Phillips told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he hasn't yet seen the lawsuit, and the Vegas casino company declined to comment.

According to Tucker Carlson's The Daily Caller, Phillips blamed a shitty economy as the reason why loyal devotees did not plunk down $399 a head to attend the weekend convention. Conservative commentator Laura Ingraham and Lou Dobbs of CNN fame were supposed to speak at the event.

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