Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has a report on unethical family payments by members of Congress that shines the light on Tom Davis.The totals found by the report (over $25,000 plus a $78,000/year part-time job) do not include the tens of thousands of dollars that Davis had directed to his wife's campaign when donors reached the federal limit for his own campaign.
Davis's latest pet project, one which helps no honest Virginian constituent, is defending Lurita Doan. CREW calls her one of the most corrupt in Washington with details here (pdf).
The report is getting some local and national press today.
Tom Davis's defender is Brian McNicoll, a Heritage Foundation writer and unbelievably unprofessional evolution denyer who covers for Davis's profiteering as chair of the House committee overseeing government contracting.
McNicoll repeats claims that Davis was cleared by the ethics committee. The Republican members on the Ethics committee replaced party colleagues who had censured Tom Delay. They were fired by then-majority leader Dennis Hastert as they had been moving on to investigate DeLay's partners in NRCC fundraising schemes, partners who included Tom Davis. Not even this castrated Ethics committee would clear Davis.
The Ethics letter says that if the benefits obtained by his household from her job at ICG or from ICG clients (salary and perqs) are given under circumstances would cause a reasonable person to believe the benefits may influence Davis -- and it does -- she should get another job. However, she continues to seek clients who have business before his Committee.
The report also names two other Virginians, Randy Forbes and JoAnn Davis.
Daily Press: When Rep. Jo Ann Davis needed someone to help put up yard signs and organize volunteers for her re-election campaign last summer and fall, the Gloucester Republican turned to a trusted hand: her son Charles. He was paid $1,500 for the work.Rep. J. Randy Forbes was more generous to his children. His son Neil, for example, was paid $34,929 for managing the Chesapeake Republican's 2002 re-election campaign.
The full report is here.
Of 435 voting Members of Congress, Tom Davis stands out in the breadth and take-home pay of the members:
* 64 paid family members through their campaign committees or PACs (26 Democrats and 38 Republicans) [this includes Tom Davis];
* 24 have relatives who lobby Congress (10 Democrats and 14 Republicans) [this includes Tom Davis];
* 19 used their campaign committees or PACs to pay a family business or a business that employs a family member (9 Democrats and 10 Republicans) [this includes Tom Davis];
* 17 used their campaign funds to make campaign contributions to relatives (11 Democrats and 6 Republicans) [this includes Tom Davis] ;
* 15 used their positions to benefit a family member or a family member?s client (3 Democrats and 12 Republicans) [this includes Tom Davis] ;
* At least 7 paid offspring who ranged from school-age to college-age (all Republicans).
Too bad there is no ethics committee ruling (except for County attorney Bobzien)who never finds any conflict of interest even with Connolly (who works for SAIC) and the decisions that he makes on the Dulles Rail Alternative (for which SAIC will recognize significant financial benefit.) GO FIGURE!