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The Senate Ethics Committee should look into whether John McCain violated federal laws by failing to list gambling winnings on his Senate financial disclosure forms, according to a watchdog group. The request by the left-leaning Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) cites several media reports describing McCain as an avid, high-stakes gambler. The group questions why the Arizona senator has not included any gambling winnings on his disclosure forms. “Given Sen. McCain’s history of gambling on a regular basis over many years, it is nearly impossible to imagine that he never won over $200, the amount that triggers the reporting requirement,” wrote CREW executive director Melanie Sloan. The complaint notes that none of his financial disclosure forms between 2000 and 2007 list any winnings, while other lawmakers, such as Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.), did note winnings on their forms. Gregg won $800,000 in lottery awards in 2005, while Boehner won $2,700 from slot machines and Kanjorski won $19,500. The complaint, sent to committee chairwoman Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and vice chairman Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), asks for a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice if the ethics panel finds evidence of guilt. Former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), recently released from prison, was tripped up by reporting false disclosure forms. Ney admitted to doing favors to businessmen who had given him $50,000 in gambling chips for use in private casinos. Ney admitted in plea documents that he intentionally concealed the gifts, partly by filing false disclosure forms. |
