Posted on 04/28/2005 5:49:06 AM PDT by pabianice
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the Ohio Democrat who sits on the House ethics committee, has provided a sworn statement and canceled checks as proof that a trip she took to Puerto Rico wasn't improperly paid for by a lobbyist, as her official paperwork initially stated.
The June 2001 trip was actually paid for by Todo Puerto Rico con Vieques (TPRV), a group formed to protest the U.S. Navy's bombing range in Vieques, according to the sworn statement by group representatives.
"We were able to obtain the funds for this and all our other activities through our fundraising efforts," the representatives, Jose Paralitici and Pilar Belendez-Soltero, said in the statement made last week.
Mrs. Jones also produced copies of canceled checks from TPRV to Sidney Travel and to Doral Resort, which Mrs. Jones' office said handled the travel and lodging. The checks from June and July 2001 were for several members of Congress and totaled $11,220.
The original travel disclosure form filed with the House clerk stated that D.C. lobbyist firm Smith, Dawson & Andrews had paid the $3,366 tab for Mrs. Jones and her husband to travel to the Puerto Rican island of Vieques in the Caribbean. House ethics rules prohibit registered lobbyists from paying for members' travel.
Mrs. Jones said yesterday the "original report that was filed was a result of human error. I am confident that I have complied with all ethics rules on that trip."
The sworn statement and canceled checks that Mrs. Jones' office produced were in response to a story last week by The Washington Times about the initial travel disclosure forms she signed and registered with the House. She has since refiled corrected paperwork.
(Excerpt) Read more at insider.washingtontimes.com ...
How do you make a mistake like that? No wonder our government is such a mess.
She obviously THOUGHT that the lobbyist paid, though. I wonder how that affected her votes?
"The June 2001 trip was actually paid for by Todo Puerto Rico con Vieques (TPRV), a group formed to protest the U.S. Navy's bombing range in Vieques, according to the sworn statement by group representatives."
'A group formed to protest the Navy'.
Now let's see.
Why would a 'protest group' give money to a politician??
Hmmmm...Could it be they were 'lobbying' her to put pressure on the Navy to close the bombing range?
Nawww. Couldn't be. /sarc off
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