Today, CREW sent a letter to the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, more commonly known as the Ethics Committee. We want the Committee to take immediate action in the face of the developing crisis of members illegally using official resources for campaign purposes. A copy of the letter can be found here.

As we reported yesterday, Last week, Laura Flores, a former aide to Reps. Jane Harman (D-CA) and Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) received a reduced sentence for embezzlement in return for her cooperation in a probe into whether members of Congress have been using congressional staff and resources for campaign purposes. The Washington Post reported that the Department of Justice is investigating whether members of Congress have used phones, supplies and staff time for campaign purposes and whether staff have been directed to perform personal errands on government time:

In the course of plea negotiations, however, Flores provided testimony and documents as part of a previously unreported Justice Department investigation into whether members of Congress used phones, supplies and staff time for campaign purposes, according to the source.

Investigators also are looking into whether members of Congress directed their staffs to perform personal errands on government time, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is at an early stage.

Congressional aides are prohibited from raising money or participating in campaign activities while on the government payroll, said election law expert Lawrence M. Noble. "It's a serious matter," he added.

In 2006, the FBI began investigating allegations made by former congressional staffers to Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) that they were forced to work on campaign matters during office hours. Similar allegations have been made by former staffers to Reps. David Scott (D-GA) and Gary Miller (R-CA).

Despite the burgeoning number of stories suggesting that members may be routinely forcing staffers to illegally engage in campaign work – and firing some who go public with such allegations – the House Ethics Committee has taken no action.

CREW has asked the Committee to proactively begin investigating the scope of this problem and require members of Congress to attend mandatory training sessions on the proper use of staff and congressional research. CREW has further asked the Committee to establish a procedure allowing staffers to file complaints about such conduct without fear of retaliation.

CREW's Melanie Sloan summed up the situation:

Once again, a major scandal is brewing on Capitol Hill and the House ethics committee is sitting it out. The question is, when -- if ever -- is the Ethics Committee going to prove itself more than a paper tiger?

We're waiting.

From the AP wires, a report on CREW's request for an investigation of Georgia Congressman David Scott, who earlier this week was named one of the most corrupt members of Congress in our report, Beyond DeLay:

A watchdog group asked the Justice Department on Thursday to investigate whether a Georgia congressman broke the law by not paying taxes and using his office's resources for campaign activities.

The complaint comes after media reports revealed that an advertising company owned by the family of Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., owed more than $150,000 in back taxes and penalties, despite getting nearly $500,000 in business from the Atlanta congressman's campaign since he won office in 2002. The Politico Web site first reported the story in May.

In its complaint, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington also questioned whether Scott has used his congressional staff and budget for personal benefit.

"Members of Congress, like all other citizens, cannot pick and choose which laws to obey," said executive director Melanie Sloan. "Rep. Scott failed to pay taxes and used congressional staff for campaign work, both clear violations of the law."

The Scott family's company, Dayn-Mark Advertising, which Scott ran before entering Congress, has repeatedly missed tax payments to the IRS dating back to the 1980s, according to tax liens filed in Fulton County, Ga.

Scott's wife, Alfredia, now heads the business. She has said she is working with the IRS to settle the matter, much of which she said stems from confusion over the IRS mistakenly giving the company two identification numbers when Dayn-Mark moved several years ago.

Earlier this week, CREW named Rep. David Scott one of the 22 most corrupt members of Congress.

Today, CREW filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice against Rep. Scott. We want an investigation of the Georgia Congressman to determine whether he violated federal tax law and laws prohibiting the use of official resources for campaign activities. The letter and accompanying exhibits can be found here.

Dayn-Mark Advertising, a company owned by Rep. Scott and his wife, began missing federal tax payments in 2003, and now owes over $150,000 in back taxes. In addition, since 1998 Dayn-Mark Advertising has failed to pay over $4,600 in local and state taxes, and the Scotts failed to pay $23,200 in taxes on their home. During that time, the Scotts’ stock holdings grew from $5,000 to over $65,000 and they purchased a home in Washington, DC worth over $700,000. Currently, there are over 40 tax liens on Rep. Scott’s home and business.

Anyone who willfully attempts to evade paying taxes may be imprisoned up to 5 years and anyone who commits fraud or makes false statements in connection with filing a tax return may be imprisoned up to 3 years. Fines may also be imposed.

Additionally, in July 2007, The Politico reported that a staffer for Rep. Scott alleged misuse of congressional office staff and resources to run his reelection campaign. The staffer also stated that Rep. Scott designated certain employees to only perform campaign work, often during official office hours, while using government equipment, and that employees often performed political work from Rep. Scott’s advertising firm on taxpayer time.

Federal law prohibits members of Congress using from soliciting political contributions from employees, including in-kind contributions in the form of service. In addition, taxpayer dollars may not be spent on congressional campaigns. In the past, the Department of Justice has prosecuted the misuse of official resources.

Melanie Sloan, CREW's Executive Director, made the following statement when we sent the complaint:

Members of Congress, like all other citizens, cannot pick and choose which laws to obey. Rep. Scott failed to pay taxes and used congressional staff for campaign work, both clear violations of the law. We urge the Justice Department to commence an investigation immediately.

Georgia Congressman David Scott hired family members to do work on his campaigns. So did Rep. John Doolittle and many other members of Congress. It's legal, but the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Jay Bookman says it's not a good idea:

Since 2002, U.S. Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) has paid more than $500,000 in campaign money to members of his family and to his family-owned advertising company. The money was paid for work performed on his campaign.

The practice isn't illegal — an Associated Press survey two years ago found that roughly 50 members of the U.S. House had paid spouses or children to work on their campaigns. But it also isn't very wise.

Scott rejects any suggestion of impropriety. His company and family members — his wife, two daughters and a son-in-law — performed legitimate campaign work and more than earned their compensation, according to the congressman.

That may be true. The problem is that under the circumstances, it's difficult for outsiders to confirm that statement. And unfortunately, there's a long and sordid history of unethical politicians using their campaign treasuries as a personal cashbox.

In California, for example, U.S. Rep. John Doolittle, a Republican, paid his wife a commission of 15 percent of all donations to his campaign fund and political action committee.

To outsiders, that looked suspiciously like a scheme to divert political donations into personal income, but Doolittle's explanation sounds a lot like that offered by Scott. His wife helped him raise money, and "the family is the one that has the most direct vested interest of all in being honest about things and ensuring your success."