Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele hired his former personal assistant to manage the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., for $15,000 a month plus a $25,000 signing bonus, The Washington Times has learned.

The contract, signed by Mr. Steele on the RNC's Committee on Arrangements (COA) letterhead, calls for Belinda Cook to serve "as RNC liaison to the convention."

WTF is a convention "liaison"?

Mr. Steele signed the contract in July of this year and dispatched Mrs. Cook and a team of operatives to Tampa, where they rent living quarters, presumably to be on site to negotiate arrangements with the host committee for the 2012 Republican presidential nominating convention.

But staff and party officials report seeing Mrs. Cook not in Florida but in the RNC headquarters building in Washington this week.

This week, she sent what she labeled as "talking points" to six of Mr. Steele's staunchest supporters on the RNC. The talking points use RNC Finance Department figures to attempt to rebut accusations by the RNC's former political director that the committee under Mr. Steele has had a dismal fundraising record.

RNC spokesman Doug Heye declined to comment.

Mrs. Cook did not respond to a message left on her cell phone.

The contract guaranteed Mrs. Cook $15,000 a month, from July 1 through the date of the next chairman election, in January. The contract also awarded Mrs. Cook an immediate lump sum upon signing of $25,000, earning her $115,000 for the contract's six-month length.

The latest Federal Election Commission filings through Sept. 30 also confirm the bonus payment and the monthly payments to that date.

That reads $19,166.66 per month.

Isn't that just great.  Using Party funds for damage control?