Lawmaker Accused of Misusing Money

Rob Andrews shouldn't have used campaign funds for clothes even if reimbursed, group says.

3 Dec 2008 // WASHINGTON, D.C. | A watchdog organization is accusing U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews of abusing his campaign funds to buy new clothes.

The congressman's spokesman called the charge "utterly false," explaining that an airline lost Andrews' luggage last year, leaving him without a suit before a speech.

Andrews, a South Jersey Democrat, charged $952 worth of clothes to his campaign account. The airline reimbursed the congressman, who in turn reimbursed the campaign.

However, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington submitted a complaint Tuesday to the Federal Election Commission, saying Andrews' purchases violated campaign-finance rules. The group called for an investigation.

"Here's the problem: Even though they paid it back, your campaign funds are not your personal line of credit," said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

"You and I don't have a slush fund when our luggage is lost that we can use until we're reimbursed by the airlines," Sloan continued. "Members can't treat their campaign funds like a personal credit line. That's not what it's there for."

Campaign-finance reports show Andrews, of Haddon Heights, spent $775 at Benjamin Peters, $93 at Bon-Ton and $84 at Target in Ithaca, N.Y., in June 2007.

Andrews was in Ithaca to speak to alumni and faculty at Cornell University, where the congressman earned his law degree, Andrews spokesman Fran Tagmire said.

"Because he had to dress for his speech immediately, he had to purchase an entirely new set of clothes," Tagmire wrote in a statement. "The campaign credit card used to pay for the clothing was reimbursed in total by the airline. ...Thus, the campaign incurred no expense for the clothing."

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is the same organization that filed a complaint over $150,000 of clothing purchased for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin during her vice presidential campaign.

An FEC representative confirmed receiving the complaint about Andrews and said its status is pending.

Depending on the FEC's next steps, Sloan said, Andrews could be fined, but she expects any fine would be small. Regardless, Sloan said, her organization wants Andrews to know campaign funds are not for personal use.

"The rules are very clear about clothing. You can't convert campaign funds for personal use. Buying clothing is a personal use," Sloan said. "It's a black-and-white rule."