There's always some new scandal, but this one, involving Vern Buchanan, Republican Representative out of the 13th District in Florida has actually been going on for some time. Only elected in 2007, how he got to be Finance Chair of the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee is a puzzlement. He's obviously not a very good record keeper. The Herald Tribune reports that the House ethics committee is taking another look at his failure to timely list all his business associations and sources of income. The Office of Congressional Ethics
concluded that “there is substantial reason to believe that Representative Buchanan violated House rules, standards of conduct and federal law,” the report stated.
Back in December, even though Buchanan claimed to have been exonerated, the Tampa Bay Times reported that
FEC attorneys said evidence suggests "it is more likely than not'' that the millionaire Sarasota Republican and his campaign committee broke federal election laws.
The report also said that there were "legitimate questions'' about Buchanan's credibility and that an affidavit in which he and former business partner Sam Kazran said they knew nothing about reimbursements could indicate Buchanan was trying to hide his involvement.
Now the Department of Justice is having a look-see.
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Buchanan for an undisclosed matter and in January the Federal Election Commission released records that show Buchanan’s was under investigation for illegal campaign donations that aided his past campaigns for Congress. The FEC voted 5-0 not to pursue charges against Buchanan. But commission fined three car dealerships he used to own for illegally reimbursing employees for making campaign donations to Buchanan.
Perhaps to refresh his memory.
• Buchanan testified he could not remember "one way or the other" whether he asked Kazran to raise money for the 2006 campaign. "There is evidence Buchanan did ask, and it raises legitimate questions as to Buchanan's credibility that he could not admit this innocuous fact,'' the report said.'' (It is illegal to reimburse donors for contributions, but it is legal and even common to ask business associates for help raising money.)
• Although Buchanan said he did not remember whether he asked Kazran to fund raise, he was "certain that he had told Kazran not to reimburse contributions,'' the report said. "These two statements are largely inconsistent with each other, and are inconsistent with other evidence.''
Incidents of what seem to be hypocritical behavior are so common that one might wonder whether the problem isn't that scofflaws are being recruited to help fabricate laws which they and their buddies can then scoff with impunity. But, if that's the problem then we can't expect an ethics investigation to do anything but waste time either, can we?
Best to just removing the offensive members and their incompetent friends.
Louie Gohmert(TX-01)
Joe Wilson(SC-02)
Joe Walsh (IL-08)
Steve King (IA-05)
Michele Bachmann(MN-06)
Tom Graves(GA-09)
Paul Broun(GA-10)
John Culberson(TX-07)
Phil Gingrey(GA-11)
Clif Stearns(FL-06)
Frank Guinta(NH-01)
Charles Bass(NH-02)
Allen West(FL-22)
Daniel Webster(FL-08)
Austin Scott(GA-08)
Lou Barletta(PA-11)
Patrick McHenry(NC-10)
Chip Cravaack(MN-08)
Thaddeus McCotter(MI-11)
Sean Duffy(WI-07)
Eric Cantor(VA-07)
Jeff Denham(CA-19)
Steve Womack(AR-03)
Steve Southerland(FL-02)
Virginia Foxx(NC-05)
Joe Heck(NV-03)
John Campbell(CA-48)
Andy Harris (MD-01)
Peter King (NY-03)
Frank Lobiondo(NJ-02)
Nan Hayworth (NY-19)
Doug Lamborn (CO-05)
Mike Coffman (CO-06)
Robert Dold (IL-10)
John Fleming (LA-04)
Diane Black (TN-06)
Marsha Blackburn (TN-07)
Justin Amash (MI-03)
Robert Hurt (VA-05)
Jim Jordan (OH-04)
Jean Schmidt (OH-02)
Don Young (AK)
Paul Ryan (WI-01)
Elton Gallegly (CA-24)
Collin Peterson (MN-10)
Renee Elmers (NC-02)
Timothy Walberg (MI-07)
Mike Rogers (MI-08)
Peter Hoekstra (MI-Sen)
Adrian Smith (NE-03)
Vern Buchanan (FL-13)
Buchanan has an announced Democrat, Keith Fitzgerald, a former State Representative, eager to take his place.