Life must be pretty good if you're in Congress. The easy money doesn't just apply to members of Congress who enjoy pensions and health benefits beyond the reach of most Americans. It also flows to family and friends who are working as part of the staff or as lobbyists. CNNMoney:
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a liberal watchdog group, took a look at the 435-member House of Representatives and found 248 of them were engaged in activities that warranted inclusion in their report on how lawmakers are using their positions to benefit their families.One of the more interesting examples is Ron Paul, who has multiple generations working on his team. Paul may not be as corruptible as many in Congress when it comes to lobbyists, but he certainly goes to the extreme with keeping his family employed.
Among the findings:
- 82 members paid family members through their congressional offices, campaigns or political action committees.
- 44 representatives have family employed as lobbyists or in governmental affairs.
- 14 collected interest on personal loans made to their own campaigns.
