CREW REQUESTS SENATE ETHICS COMMITTEE INVESTIGATION INTO FUNDRAISING EVENT

10 May 2004 // Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee requesting an investigation into an event to be hosted by Senator Saxby Chambliss and sponsored by ALFAC, Inc. at the Republican National Convention, allegedly on behalf of a children's charity, Camp Sunshine. The complaint is similar to one filed by CREW last week against Senators Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN).

After CREW filed its complaint against Senator Lincoln on May 4 2004, she pulled out of the event also on behalf of a children's cancer charity and also sponsored by AFLAC. AFLAC later cancelled the event at the Democratic National Convention, but has not cancelled the event to be hosted by Senator Chambliss at the Republican National Convention though the two events are nearly identical in nature.

The letter argues that the benefit for Camp Sunshine is not simply a fundraising event on behalf of a worthy charity; it is actually just a way to evade the ban on soft money contributions.

CREW claimed that the event may violate Senate Ethics rules prohibiting Senators from soliciting donations for charity from lobbyists as well as the Internal Revenue Code, which prohibits charities from participating in political campaigns on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.

CREW's Executive Director Melanie Sloan stated "Senator Chambliss is shamelessly exploiting a worthy charity to finance a convention event where wealthy lobbyists can hobnob with Senators at the taxpayers expense."

Sloan also questioned AFLAC's failure to cancel the event at the Republican Convention after cancelling the nearly identical event at the Democratic Convention after receiving negative publicity. "AFLAC's continued involvement in Senator Chambliss's event after pulling out of the event at the Democratic Convention suggests that the company is willing to withstand negative attention for the possibility of currying favor with Republican Members of Congress who have much greater power than their Democratic colleagues."

CREW requested that the Ethics Committee move promptly to investigate and issue an opinion.