LAT - Political Payrolls Include Families

[Catchawave]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/latimests/20050414/ts_latimes/politicalpayrollsincludefamilies&e=5&ncid=703

Thu Apr 14, 7:55 AM ET


By Richard Simon, Chuck Neubauer and Rone Tempest Times Staff Writers

WASHINGTON — At least 39 members of Congress have engaged in the controversial practice of paying their spouses, children or other relatives out of campaign funds, or have hired companies in which a family member had a financial interest, records and interviews show.


House campaign funds have paid more than $3 million to lawmakers' relatives over the last two election cycles, records show.


The practice is not illegal but has come under new scrutiny following reports that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's wife and daughter had received hundreds of thousands of dollars since 2001 from his political action and congressional campaign committees. It also comes after disclosures that relatives of members of Congress have been hired by special interests as lobbyists or consultants.

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