National Public Radio is reporting that the Office of Congressional Ethics questioned the timing of fundraisers and subsequent earmarks inserted into legislation by Northwest Indiana’s Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-Ind). 

Visclosky was cleared by the House Ethics Committee, “ (b)ut it looks a lot like condoning practices that the committee rejected just a few years ago,” according to the NPR news report.

OVERBY: But another congressional organization also investigated Visclosky: the Office of Congressional Ethics, or OCE. It even asked the Ethics Committee to dig deeper. OCE found evidence that in early 2008, Visclosky’s office was inviting contractors to apply for new earmarks, while his campaign was inviting them to a fundraising dinner. OCE spokesman Jon Steinman sums up the report’s findings.

Mr. JON STEINMAN (Spokesman, Office of Congressional Ethics): The timing of the fundraiser he held was one week before he took official action on behalf of the donors. The attendees at the fundraiser were limited to defense contractors with pending earmark requests before the representatives. And Visclosky’s chief of staff and appropriations director attended the fundraiser.

Technorati Tags: Congress, earmarks, fundraising, House Ethics Committee, Office of Congressional Ethics, Pete Visclosky, Rep. Pete Visclosky

Comments