Report: Members of Congress find ways to keep money in the family

Nearly 250 members of Congress directed money toward members of their own families over the last four years, according to a study released on Thursday.
 
The 347-page exhaustive report by the ethics watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), found 242 instances — involving millions of dollars — in which lawmakers used campaign coffers, office budgets and earmarks to direct money to relatives for services rendered.
 

Though none of the examples cited in CREW’s study appears to have violated federal laws or congressional ethics rules, the group said its report highlights some of the major reasons for the American public’s steadily increasing distrust of lawmakers.

The latest Gallup poll numbers released Wednesday revealed that only 12 percent of the public approves of Congress's job performance, while 82 percent disapprove. The public's approval rating of Congress has been 15 percent or below since last August, according to Gallup.
 
“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 Melanie Sloan, CREW’s executive director, in a statement. 
 
“Conduct like this reinforces the widely held view that members of Congress are more interested in enriching themselves than in public service,” Sloan said.
 
More than 80 lawmakers — 40 Democrats and 42 Republicans — paid family members for services using money from their congressional office budgets, campaign committees or political action committees (PACs), according to the report entitled “Family Affair.”
 
Republican presidential hopeful Rep. Ron Paul (Texas) dolled out the most money to family members -- a total of $304,599 in salaries or fees to six relatives –- according to the report.
 
Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) used his campaign committee and a PAC to pay his sister’s law office $292,557 in fees and give to a scholarship fund founded by his father — who is a registered lobbyist — an additional $11,290, according to the report. 
 
The report found that 44 members of Congress — 20 Democrats and 24 Republicans — have relatives who lobby or are employed in government affairs offices.
 
One of the most unusual findings in the report was that concerning Reps. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Tim Walz (D-Minn.), who reimbursed themselves and their wives for babysitting costs.
 
In the 2010 election cycle Chaffetz’s campaign committee reimbursed the lawmaker for more than $5,000 in babysitting and childcare expenses, and his wife for $1,515 for travel, meetings, babysitting and gifts costs, the report found.
 
More than a dozen members — 6 Democrats and 8 Republicans — charged interest on personal loans they made to their own campaigns, according to the study.
 
For example Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) loaned her campaign $150,000 in 1998 and collected more than $94,000 in interest during the 2008 and 2010 election cycles. Napolitano's office said that loan was completely repaid by August, 2010.

Similarly, Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) loaned his campaign $309,000 in the 2008 election cycle and collected $28,756 in interest in the 2010 cycle.

This story was updated at 7:55 p.m.

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