Abuse of Congress members for families unveiled

Political watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), has released a report detailing how members of the House of Representatives use their positions to financially benefit their families.

In its report, entitled Family Affair, CREW found that 248 House members had “used their positions to financially benefit themselves or family members.”

According to the report, campaign accounts of Representative Ron Paul, a Republican of Texas who is running for the party’s presidential nomination, paid salaries or fees to his daughter, brother, grandson, daughter’s mother-in-law, granddaughter and grandson-in-law, totaling more than $300,000, according to the report.

Mr. Paul did not dispute the findings, though Jesse Benton, a spokesman, said, “Any implication that there is anything inappropriate is wildly off base.”

Representative Rubén Hinojosa, Democrat of Texas, who paid two grandnieces and a son-in-law with his re-election campaign funds, also contributed money from his campaign account to his daughter’s election bid for county clerk in Texas, and he helped secure a federal budget appropriation for a hospital where his wife serves on the board, according to the report.

Representative Jo Ann Emerson, Republican of Missouri, has two daughters who have worked in Washington as lobbyists, one for General Motors, the other for the chemical giant Monsanto, one of 44 House lawmakers who have a relative that is registered to lobby or at least works in government affairs, the report says.

Representative Silvestre Reyes, Democrat of Texas, has paid nearly $600,000 over the last two election cycles to himself or his family in reimbursements, salaries, consulting contracts and other payments, with some of the largest amounts going to his niece, Veronica Cintron, who served as a campaign fund-raiser. He even reimbursed thousands of dollars in charitable contributions that Ms. Cintron made over the last several years, the records show.

Most of these practices do not appear to violate any laws or House ethics rules. And it is extremely common for lawmakers to use campaign funds to reimburse themselves for expenses related to a re-election bid. Lawmakers asked for response uniformly defended their spending or other family ties.

But Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW, said that some of the payments at least raise questions. One such example is the use by Representative Michael Burges, Republican of Texas, of his campaign funds to renew his membership in a professional medical society ― which at least appears to be a personal expense. (Mr. Burges did not respond to a request for comment.)

“Some things that aren’t illegal may still raise serious ethical questions,” Ms. Sloan said. “If donors really understood where their money is going, I think they would be aghast.”

Lawmakers who use campaign funds to pay relatives should be required to disclose that the payment is going to a family member, Ms. Sloan said, and there should be more detailed accounting of reimbursements paid to lawmakers or their family members for campaign expenses.

Congresswoman Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville, earmarked hundreds of thousands of dollars for one of her daughter’s clients. Shantrel Brown-Fields (Brown’s daughter) is a partner at lobbying firm Alcalde & Fay, and lobbies on transportation and infrastructure issues, the Florida Independent reported last Thursday.

Her clients include the Community Rehabilitation Center of Jacksonville, Fl, for which Brown has earmarked a total of $939,000 since 2008.

Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, was also included on the list. During the 2008 and 2010 election cycles, Buchanan’s campaign committee, Vern Buchanan for Congress, paid his sister-in-law a salary and also paid two of Buchanan’s own companies.

Buchanan’s sister-in-law, Yvonne Buchanan, was paid $36,497 by the Congressman’s campaign committee during the 2008 election cycle and $80,492 in salary during the 2010 election cycle.

During the 2008 election cycle, Buchanan’s campaign committee paid Jamatt Properties (a company presided over by Buchanan) $29,137 for office rent, parking, and storage. During the 2010 election cycle, Buchanan’s campaign committee paid Jamatt Properties $45,751 for storage, rent, and postage.

During the 2008 election cycle, Rep. Buchanan’s campaign committee paid Auto Central Services (another company that lists Buchanan as its President) $6,159 for flights, beverages, and office supplies. During the 2010 election cycle, Buchanan’s campaign committee paid Auto Central Services $339 for office supplies.

Twelve-term member of Congress Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala, was also on the list. According to CREW’s report, Stearns’ campaign committee paid $10,287 in “food, travel, equipment, purchases, gifts, office supplies, parking, fuel and vehicle rental expenses” during the 2008 election cycle to Rep. Stearns himself and $2,005 in “food, travel, mileage and Christmas card expenses,” during the 2010 election cycle, also to Stearns.

That committee also paid Stearns’ wife more than $2,000 in “fax expenses, flowers and Christmas cards” during the 2008 and 2010 election cycles. Organizations associated with his wife also benefitted from Stearns’ campaign committee, netting more than $860,000 in earmark requests during the 2008 and 2010 election cycles.

“This report shows lawmakers still haven’t learned it is wrong to trade on their positions as elected leaders to benefit themselves and their families,” said CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan, in a press release. “Conduct like this reinforces the widely held view that members of Congress are more interested in enriching themselves than in public service.