6.17.07
Lawmakers used campaign funds to pay relatives
By Matt Kelley, USA TODAY
...Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) found nearly $3.5 million in campaign payments to relatives during the past three election cycles, from 2001 to 2006. Campaigns paid about $1.6 million to firms owned by or employing the lawmakers or their relatives, the group found...
Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor who heads the watchdog group, says paying relatives with campaign money gives the impression that Congress members use their "position as a profit center for the family."
"A member of Congress would not be allowed to put that family member on their office payroll," Sloan says. "The logic should be the same. If they can't put them on the official payroll, why should they put them on the campaign payroll?"
Sloan says her group started the study last year amid criticism of some members of Congress for their family ties to campaign fundraising. For example, the campaign and political action committee for Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif., paid a 15% commission to his wife's fundraising business, which also did work for lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who was sentenced to prison last year for fraud. Doolittle stepped down from his committees in April after FBI agents raided his wife's offices in their suburban Washington home. Doolittle is not in the CREW study because he was not a committee or subcommittee leader... (Full Story)
By Matt Kelley, USA TODAY
...Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) found nearly $3.5 million in campaign payments to relatives during the past three election cycles, from 2001 to 2006. Campaigns paid about $1.6 million to firms owned by or employing the lawmakers or their relatives, the group found...
Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor who heads the watchdog group, says paying relatives with campaign money gives the impression that Congress members use their "position as a profit center for the family."
"A member of Congress would not be allowed to put that family member on their office payroll," Sloan says. "The logic should be the same. If they can't put them on the official payroll, why should they put them on the campaign payroll?"
Sloan says her group started the study last year amid criticism of some members of Congress for their family ties to campaign fundraising. For example, the campaign and political action committee for Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif., paid a 15% commission to his wife's fundraising business, which also did work for lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who was sentenced to prison last year for fraud. Doolittle stepped down from his committees in April after FBI agents raided his wife's offices in their suburban Washington home. Doolittle is not in the CREW study because he was not a committee or subcommittee leader... (Full Story)
RELATED RECIPIENTS: Who got paid?
CREW's Full Report: Family Affair
FAMILY AFFAIR: Summary and Conclusions
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-06-17-campaign-funds_N.htm#Close
Detroit Casino Syndicators' Connection
On the CREW lists published in USA Today:
- Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Ca 25th) whose district includes Barstow, CA and Barstow Mayor Lawrence Dale is his political appointee to the regional GOP committee (his wife has been paid $263,168 funneled through his campaign); and
- Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mi 1st) whose district includes the Bay Mills Indian Community and who has sponsored numerous bills to push an off-reservation casino for the Bay Mills Indians (his wife and son have been paid $132,036 from campaign funds).
Michael J. Malik, Sr. and Mrs. Marian Ilitch have bankrolled plans to develop and manage two Indian casinos in Barstow and various casino plans for the Bay Mills Indians the last decade. They've established a track record of contributions totaling $9,000 to Rep. Stupak; but oddly enough, there are no contributions recorded to Barstow area Rep. McKeon.
The pair of Detroit casino syndicators and their family members have contributed generously to other California lawmakers and their causes including:
- Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Ca 11th)
$65,000 to $100,000 - Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Ca 41st)
$9,500 - other California lawmakers
$65,000
These disclosures analyzed in the CREW report are made available because campaign committees must report their explenditures to the Federal Elections Commission. However if individuals or organziations lobbying Members of Congress hire or retain the services of a member of that Congressional Representative's family directly and for non-lobbbying and non-political campaign purposes; there is little, if any, disclosure required.
A corporation or individual could retain a Member's son to provide strategic counsel or empty waste baskets and if the son didn't lobby his father, but representatives of the Corporation or the individual employing the son did, payments to the son would not necessarily ever be disclosed. Certainly there's nothing stopping the coporate lobbyists from mentioning to the Member what a "fine job" his/her son is doing on their behalf as they leave the Member of Congress' office.
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