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Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) Earns Dishonorable Mention in CREW’s Annual Most Corrupt Report

Washington, D.C. –The line between political cause and personal financial gain is fuzzy for Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV).  The congresswoman vocally advocates for Washington policies that financially benefit her kidney surgeon husband.  In turn, she has become a major recipient of campaign donations from those in the kidney care industry.  It’s no wonder Rep. Shelly Berkley has earned a dishonorable mention in Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington’s (CREW) annual Most Corrupt Members of Congress Report.  Click here to read the full report on Rep. Berkley. 

“While it is understandable why a Nevada congresswoman would fight to save the only transplant center in the state, Rep. Berkley should have been clear about her husband’s position at the hospital,” said CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan. 

Rep. Berkley is married to Dr. Larry Lehrner, a surgeon and a prominent voice within the Renal Physicians Association, an industry trade group. In 2008, federal officials were set to shut down kidney transplant operations at Universal Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, after a string of failed kidney transplants and patient deaths. Rep. Berkley led a successful charge to keep the center – where her husband directs the kidney care department - open. Thanks to her efforts, her husband’s practice now enjoys a $738,000 per year federal contract.

A New York Times exposé revealed Rep. Berkley has co-sponsored at least five House bills to expand federal support for kidney care. She also wrote a letter to Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), then-chairman of the House Ways and Means subcommittee with jurisdiction over Medicare, to dissuade him from changing compensation for doctors providing dialysis, neglecting to mention her husband’s interests. Dr. Lehrner, for his part, has openly joked “Marry[ing] and elected official” has been a boon to his practice.

“House conflict-of-interest rules warn members to avoid taking action on any matter that may affect their financial interests.  Rep. Berkley’s advocacy for kidney doctors crosses this line.”

This is the 7^th edition of the CREW’S Most Corrupt Report, an annual look at a bipartisan collection of Washington’s worst.  This year’s list includes seven Democrats, and 12 Republicans.  Five are repeat offenders.  Since 2005, CREW has named 70 members of Congress to the list, 32 of whom are no longer in office.