Free Republic

The House Ethics Committee revealed on Thursday that it is investigating Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) over whether his relationship with a member of his staff breaks House rules. Hastings has admitted to being in a relationship with his aide, Patricia Williams, who serves as his deputy district director. The committee is now investigating whether Hastings violated House rules with that relationship and if he received any improper gifts from that employee. The House last year adopted a rule preventing members of Congress from having a sexual relationship with a member of their staff. "The Committee is aware of public allegations...

Democratic representative Alcee Hastings (Fla.) has paid his girlfriend the maximum congressional salary for the seventh straight year. Patricia Williams, Hastings's longtime girlfriend, who first appeared on his payroll in 2000, received the maximum congressional salary of $168,411 throughout 2018, according to salary data posted to Legistorm, a government tracking website. Williams has collected the maximum allowable salary since 2012, and has been compensated at a higher rate than Hastings's Washington, D.C., chief of staff, typically the highest paid position in a congressional office. Williams had been listed as district director out of Hastings's Broward County, Fla., office, but in...