Ethics Panel Fines Weldon, Feeney for Trips

By Paul Kane, Roll Call

January 3, 2007

The House ethics committee today imposed nearly $30,000 in fines on two Members for taking inappropriate, privately funded trips overseas as part of the long-running controversy about travel that arose from the Jack Abramoff scandal.

In what appears to be its final actions on the last day of the 109th Congress, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct released two statements that said Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.) must pay more than $5,600 to cover the costs of a golf trip to Scotland in 2003 with the imprisoned felonious lobbyist Abramoff, while outgoing Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) must repay more than $23,000 in costs for an undisclosed trip that he and several family members took.

It's unclear what ability the panel will have to force Weldon to pay off the costs of his inappropriate trip, given that he lost his re-election bid in November and will not be in Congress as of noon tomorrow.

Feeney and Weldon were just two of the dozens of lawmakers and aides whose privately paid trips came under intense scrutiny throughout 2005 and 2006 as Abramoff's lobbying scandal smoldered throughout the 109th Congress.

Though the 109th Congress is coming to an end, the ethics panel still could issue more rulings and findings in the 110th Congress on the numerous other past trips taken by Members and former Members, particularly the dozens of trips arranged for by Abramoff and his lobbying associates during a more than seven-year criminal conspiracy.

In a rebuke to the many trips arranged by Abramoff, the committee formally declared that the 2003 trip, which was centered around golf at the fabled Old Course at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews, was merely a junket that had no official connection to Congressional duties and could not be paid for by any private interests.

Citing media reports that noted the trip may have been "substantially personal in nature," the panel said, "we concluded that the trip did not comply with House rules."

Jason Roe, chief of staff for Feeney, said that the lawmaker agrees with the finding by the panel and that the trip was something Feeney regrets, noting that Feeney himself wrote to the ethics committee in March 2005 to ask for guidance about it.

"Tom felt, on balance, the trip was a waste of time," Roe said, adding, "It's an expensive lesson, but we're glad it's behind us."

Roe added that no one is entirely sure who paid for the trip, whether it was Abramoff or if Abramoff routed money through the nonprofit group that was said to have paid for the trip on forms filed with the House, the National Center for Public Policy Research. That group has denied paying for the trip, as well as other trips arranged by Abramoff, who on several occasions told Members that NCPPR or other nonprofits he was associated with were covering the costs.

Roe said Feeney will make his check out for $5,643, from his personal account, to the general Treasury fund.

With Weldon, the panel cited a January 2003 trip that he took with family members, one that he initially sought clearance from ethics on but then withdrew his request. He attended the trip without prior approval.

The panel ruled that it was a trip that was not one based on friendship and was instead connected in part to his official duties, therefore making it inappropriate to bring along family members. While the panel declined to say where the trip destination was, Weldon is currently under federal probe for his dealings with Russian energy companies and other Eastern European companies concerning his alleged efforts at steering lobbying and consulting business to his daughter, a lobbyist.

The issue with regard to the undisclosed trip was resolved in mid-2006 but not revealed until today.

"Representative Weldon, through counsel, has stated his intent to make the repayment, and to notify us when the repayment has been made," the committee wrote. "We intend to monitor his efforts to repay the expenses and to make further public statements if necessary or appropriate."