Accusations that politicians are corrupt are nothing new.
From violations of campaign or personal finance disclosure rules to ethics investigations, these are some of the things that land a politicians in trouble or cause the public to have an unfavorable view of those who lead.
Ask the members of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. The group recently released a report naming the 20 U.S. lawmakers it believes are the most corrupt.
The report is CREW's eighth on congressional corruption. It charges that 12 Congress members engaged in serious misconduct, while the remaining eight had some "misdeeds" that earned then a "dishonorable mention."
"There was no shortage of candidates for CREW's list this year, and 11 of the 20 members are joining it for the first time," the report stated. "In addition, one member, Rep. David Rivera (R-Fla.), has been under investigation by no fewer than six separate authorities -- quite the rap sheet for a freshman."
Here are the members of Congress who made the CREW most corrupt list. Start the slideshow to see if your district rep made the list.
Stearns represents Florida’s sixth congressional district and was reported to be under investigation by the FBI for allegedly using middlemen to offer his opponent money and job appointments to quit the race.WikicommonsCREW’s report stated that Towns uses campaign funds to pay for his wife’s car lease.wikicommonsHis ethics issues concern “illegally soliciting excessive contributions and using campaign funds for personal expense,” according to CREW.wikicommonsCREW claims California’s 25th congressional district representative accepted a favorable mortgage rate from Countrywide Financial and misused official resources for political activity.wikicommonsAccording to CREW, the first-term senator’s ethics issues stem from using campaign funds for personal benefits and failing to disclose gifts on his personal financial disclosure forms.wikicommonsSophia Bush (L) and Ashley Tisdale pose backstage at the Rebecca Taylor Spring/Summer 2012 show during New York Fashion Week September 9, 2011.Reuters.According to CREW, Washington’s sixth congressional district representative is accused of “directing public money to benefit his son.”wikicommonsServing Nevada’s first congressional district, Berkley is accused of using her position to advocate for policies that financially benefited her family, more specifically her husband’s medial practice. The House Ethics Committee has voted to form a subcommittee to investigate these claims.wikicommonsCrew accuses the second-term Louisiana senator of attempted bribery of the U.S. Secretary of Interior and improper activities. CREW’s executive director, Melanie Sloan, told the Times-Picayune that “There likely is no senator who has been before the Senate Ethics Committee more often than Sen. Vitter. He has solicited prostitutes, employed a known criminal and tried to bribe a cabinet member. Time and time again, he has walked away virtually unscathed.”WikicommonsThe Alaska representative was under investigation for allegedly taking bribes and unreported gifts. wikicommonsWant to know how your Senator voted on the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013, better known as the NDAA?ReutersRogers is a 16-term member of Congress. He represents Kentucky’s fifth congressional district and chairs the House Appropriations Committee. CREW's report claims Rogers misused his position “to steer millions of dollars in earmarks to a manufacturing company in exchange for contributions to his campaign committee and political action committee (PAC).”wikicommonsA first-term member of Congress, Rivera represents Florida’s 25th congressional district. He has been accused of money laundering and illegal use of campaign funds to name a few.wikicommonsA representative for California’s 37th congressional district since 2007, Richardson has been caught up in several controversies that include misusing official resources for political activity and for personal gain. A House Ethics Committee investigation found that Richardson broke federal law, violated House rules and obstructed the committee’s investigation.wikicommonsMeeks is New York’s 6th congressional district representative and was investigated by the House ethics committee for loans made in 2009 and 2010. He’s been accused of accepting improper gifts and loans. WikicommonsA first-term member of Congress, representing New York’s 13th congressional district, Grimm is under a federal grand jury investigation for allegedly accepting campaign contributions over the legal limit and from non-citizen donors. He’s also accused of lying about his finances when applying for a visa for foreign investors about two years ago.WikicommonsFlorida’s 13th district representative has quite a few alleged ethics and campaign finance law violations. He has been accused of pressuring partners and employees to contribute to his campaign committee and reimbursing them from his campaign fund. There were also reports that Buchanan tried to get his former business partners to sign a false affidavit. He has also been accused of lying on his financial disclosure forms.WikicommonsA representative for Georgia’s 10th congressional district since 2007, Broun has been accused of failing to disclose information about the true source of his campaign loans.wikicommonsHe has served New York’s 1st congressional district since 2003. There were allegations this year that Bishop solicited campaign contributions from hedge fund investor Eric Semler in return for some help with environmental permits. wikicommonsRepresenting New Jersey’s 1st congressional district since 1990. He is being investigated by the Office of Congressional Ethics for allegedly using campaign and political action money for personal expenses.http://andrews.house.gov/
