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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. |
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정치인들의 추악한 '가족 불륜 보고서' 파문
"사돈의 팔촌까지 챙기고 보자" 美 의원들 '털난 양심' 수두룩...
감시단체, 하원 435명 조사
친인척 고용 거액 월급 선거비 보전 관행 악용… 사적 용도까지 '펑펑'
미국 의회의 추악한 족벌주의 행태가 드러났다.
의회감시단체인 '위싱턴의 책임과 윤리를 위한 시민(CREW)'은 사상 처음 하원의원 435명 전체를 조사한 보고서 '가족 불륜'을 22일 공개했다.
보고서에 따르면 조사 대상의 절반이 넘는 248명의 의원이 직위를 이용해 가족에게 경제적 혜택을 제공했다. 의원 82명은 가족 117명을 의회, 선거위원회, 정치행동위원회(PAC)에 직접 고용해 거액의 봉급을 챙겨줬는데 그 규모가 557만달러를 넘었다. 또 의원 112명은 가족과 자신의 사적인 소비로 의심되는 지출을 선거비용으로 보고해 보전 받았다. 가족 관련 사업에 선심성 예산을 배정한 의원도 38명에 달했다.
가장 많은 가족에게 혜택을 준 인물은 공화당 대선 경선 후보이기도 한 론 폴 의원이다. 텍사스 출신인 그는 부인, 딸, 손자, 사돈, 손녀사위까지 가족과 인척 11명에게 30만달러가 넘는 경제적 혜택을 제공했다. 이들의 여행, 선물, 식사, 액자 및 꽃 구입 비용을 선거비로 보전해주고, 선거회계비용과 정치컨설팅 비용도 이들에게 지불했다. 군사위원회 위원장인 하워드 맥키언 의원은 부인과 회계담당자에게 24만달러의 봉급을 줬으며, 제리 루이스 의원은 부인이 자신의 사무실에서 일한 대가로 51만달러 이상을 지불했다. 가족을 의회 로비스트 등으로 등록시킨 의원 44명 중 존 미카 의원은 가장 많은 5명의 가족을, 조 앤 에머슨 의원은 두 딸을 로비스트로 등록시켰다.
연방선거위원회(FEC)가 200달러 이상의 선거비용 항목을 보전해주는 것을 악용한 사례도 비일비재했다. 랄프 홀 의원은 택배, 식사, 연료 구입 등에 들어간 돈을, 빌 캐시디 등 의원 3명은 자녀보육비를 선거자금에서 지원받았다. 롭 앤드루스 의원은 선거비용으로 옷을 사 입고 스코틀랜드에서 가족의 호화결혼식을 치렀다. 의원 대부분은 합법 또는 관행이란 이유로 이 같은 비윤리적 행위를 한 것으로 나타났다.
CREW는 "하원의원 대다수가 정부 지출과 회계의 투명성에 대해 목소리를 높인다"고 언급하면서 "의원들은 동일한 기준으로 자신들을 돌아볼 필요가 있다"고 지적했다. 보고서는 2008, 2010년 선거를 대상으로 9개월간의 조사를 거쳐 작성돼 공개됐다.
한편 미 상원은 이날 의회 관계자와 정부 공무원이 내부정보를 이용해 이익을 취하지 못하도록 규정한 의회정보거래금지법(STOCK)을 통과시켰다. 대통령 서명 절차만 남은 이 법은 의원, 보좌관, 지역구 사무실 직원이 업무상 알게 된 정보를 이용해 주식 등에 투자하는 것을 금지하고 있다. 또 연방공무원이 규모가 큰 거래를 할 경우 45일 안에 온라인 보고서를 제출토록 했다.
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