Family affairs: CREW scrutinizes senators

26 Feb 2008 // Senators from Georgia, Texas, Florida and Ohio went largely unscathed after the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington released their recent report detailing how senators’ used their positions to financially benefit their family members from 2001 to 2006.

Mel Martinez’s name stood out, however, as the Republican from Florida was named among the top five senators who reimbursed family members the most money. During the years covered by the CREW report, Martinez reimbursed family members $18,222.55. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., led the pack of alleged nepotists with total family reimbursements of $49,931.97.

According to the report, Sen. Martinez’s principal campaign committee, Martinez for Senate, reimbursed the senator’s wife, his brother, and his son-in-law in the following amounts:

-From 2004 to 2005, the committee reimbursed the senator’s wife, Kathryn Martinez, a total of $13,276.49 -In 2004, the committee reimbursed the senator’s brother, Rafael Martinez, $4,227.17. -In 2004, the committee reimbursed the senator’s son-in-law, Tim Shea, $718.89.

The committee also reimbursed Sen. Martinez himself a total of $21,788.88 from 2004 to 2006.

Calls for comment made to Sen. Martinez’s spokesperson on Monday night were not immediately returned.

Sens. Hutchison, R-Texas, Nelson, D-Fla., Chambliss, R-Ga., and Voinovich, R-Ohio, all have family members who are lobbyists or are employed in governmental affairs, while Voinovich and Cornyn were among the few who paid family members salaries or fees.

It is illegal for senators to hire family members as employees, but family members are often employed through campaign committees. Salary payments to family members, who are assumed to be qualified for the job, must be equivalent to the fair market value of bona fide services.

The organization said it sifted through every FEC disbursement schedule, page by page, from five years ending in 2006 for every principal campaign committee, authorized campaign committee, joint fundraising committee and political action committee of every senator.

The report shows that some senators funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to family businesses. California Democrat Barbara Boxer paid her son’s company $320,000 while Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., paid his daughter-in-law’s company $306,251.58.

Sixteen senators paid at least one family member salaries or fees; four of the most powerful senators paid not one but two family members official compensation. They were Democrats Joe Biden of Delaware, Tim Johnson of South Dakota and Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, along with independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

See the full report here.

A corresponding 2007 report by CREW that illuminated some of the House’s questionable financial activities is available here.