Congressional Culture of Corruption : Free Meals Edition

House ethics rules.

(b) In this rule the term ``honorarium'' means a payment of money or a
thing of value for an appearance, speech, or article (including a series
of appearances, speeches, or articles) by a Member, Delegate, Resident
Commissioner, officer, or employee of the House, excluding any actual
and necessary travel expenses incurred by that Member, Delegate,
Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee (and one relative) to the
extent that such expenses are paid or reimbursed by any other person.
The amount otherwise determined shall be reduced by the amount of any
such expenses to the extent that such expenses are not so paid or
reimbursed.
(c) In this rule the term ``travel expenses'' means, with respect to a
Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee of the
House, or a relative of such Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner,
officer, or employee, the cost of transportation, and the cost of lodging and meals while away from his residence or principal place of employment.

Rep. Jerry Lewis should read the rules.

Instead of paying for the meals out of their government allowances, they were treated by a parade of defense contractors and lobbyists, most of which sent personnel to Europe to host the meals, according to foreign-service officials and the companies. The meals gave Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp. and others private access to legislators who control billions of dollars in government contracts.

At the time, Mr. Lewis headed a House of Representatives Appropriations subcommittee in charge of defense spending. He now chairs the House Appropriations Committee itself, which decides where a big portion of government money is spent.

One problem: The hitherto undisclosed free meals likely violated House rules and possibly federal law, experts on congressional ethics say. House rules, designed to prevent private interests from unduly influencing legislators' work, bar members -- with some exceptions -- from accepting such meals on congressional trips abroad.

These little trips are called codels. What they suppose to be are fact-facting missions for Congress. They're turning into taxpaid vacations for members of Congress. Representitives are using the trips to take wives to Paris. Lobbyists are using the codels to pass legislation. Congressional spouses are being flown by the Air Force. The House handbook states that commercail airliners should be used "whenever possible, unless such service is not reasonably available." The commercial airliners fly to the major cities in Europe.

Hat tip to Aikane