Flickr/<a href="http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-466229969">Tobym</a>
The New York Times had an interesting item in this morning’s paper about nepotism in Congress. Basically, a new investigative report by the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington found that hundreds of legislators use their positions to enrich family members, either directly by paying them for campaign-related activities or by earmarking funds for organizations where relatives serve as board members. According to the report, for instance, Rep. Ron Paul doled out more than $300,000 in salaries and fees to kin or in-laws. (There were payments of various kinds to Paul’s wife, daughter, two sons, grandson, daughter’s mother-in-law, two granddaughters, daughter-in-law, and a grandson-in-law.) CREW looked at the 2008 and 2010 election cycles and found 248 legislators worthy of inclusion in its report, which also included pols with lobbyist relatives and other sketchy stuff—see below. To find out whether your own elected officials muck about in this ethical swamp, you can download the org’s full report from the link above. But here are the summary stats:
- 82 members (40 Democrats and 42 Republicans) paid family members through their congressional offices, campaign committees and political action committees (PACs);
- 44 members (20 Democrats and 24 Republicans) have family members who lobby or are employed in government affairs;
- 90 members (42 Democrats and 48 Republicans) have paid a family business, employer, or associated nonprofit;
- 20 members (13 Democrats and 7 Republicans) used their campaign money to contribute to a family member’s political campaign;
- 14 members (6 Democrats and 8 Republicans) charged interest on personal loans they made to their own campaigns;
- 38 members (24 Democrats and 14 Republicans) earmarked to a family business, employer, or associated nonprofit.
