GOP Rep. Steve Buyer to Resign Amid Ethics Probe

[swag]

Source: FOXNews

Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind., will not seek re-election this fall amid an ethics probe focusing on a non-profit foundation he founded in order to fund academic scholarships.

First elected in 1992, Buyer is a veteran of the Gulf War and rose to become the top Republican on the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

Questions were first raised in August about the way he ran the Frontier Foundation, which operated out of his campaign offices in Monticello, Ind. Buyer later made structural changes to the organization and moved it out of his campaign shop, where his son Ryan served as its director.

The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint against Buyer, alleging he "violated ethics rules by abusing a charity for private purposes and by trading legislative assistance for donations to the charity and a job for his son."

The Office of Congressional Ethics and the IRS are also scrutinizing Buyer's foundation for not actually raising academic assistance money, as it never actually awarded any scholarships.



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/01/29/gop-rep-steve-buyer-resign-amid-ethics-probe/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%253A+foxnews%252Fpolitics+%2528Text+-+Politics%2529

[progressoid]

1. Unfortunately, he didn't do a Palin, he's just not seeking re-election.

[LiberalFighter]

19. Deadline for candidates to file in Indiana is noon Feb 19.

One candidate has filed as a Democratic candidate on 1/20/10.

No one has filed as Republican candidate yet.

[tularetom]

2. When the light shines on the cucarachas

They scurry back under the refrigerator.

[unabelladonna]

32. he and his wife were weeping

as he made the announcement. he will be missed. (sarcasm)

[prolesunited]

3. Good details here

It's a scam to raise money to help family and friends and collect payouts from pharma.

http://www.vawatchdog.org/09/nf09/nfoct09/nf101209-4.htm

[CAG]

4. I'm amazed they didn't have an "oops" moment and put a "D" by his name

Did we do that??? Oh, oopsy!

[maddezmom]

5. Congressman’s Foundation Has Money for Golf Outings, but Not for Scholarships

Congressman’s Foundation Has Money for Golf Outings, but Not for Scholarships
Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Rep. Steve Buyer Frontier Foundation, established seven years ago by Congressman Steve Buyer (R-Indiana) to award scholarships, has yet to help any students, but it has financed Buyer’s golf game. Buyer’s foundation has collected more than $800,000, while not giving out a single scholarship, and prompting a government watchdog group to ask for an investigation of the congressman’s operation.


Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has written to the IRS to see if it will investigate whether the foundation violated federal tax law by “failing to operate for its stated public purpose of helping needy students and by doing little more than paying for the congressman to play golf with donors with interests before his committee.”

Buyer, who serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has been the beneficiary of donations from pharmaceutical and tobacco businesses. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA), the drug industry’s main lobby, donated $200,000 to Buyer’s foundation.

CREW also is asking the Office of Congressional Ethics to delve into the matter and determine if Buyer violated ethics rules “by abusing a charity for private purposes and by trading legislative assistance for donations to the charity and a job for his son.”

PhRMA hired Buyer’s son, Ryan, to be its “federal affairs manager.”

more:http://www.allgov.com/ViewNews/Congressmans_Foundation_Has_Money_for_Golf_Outings_but_Not_for_Scholarships_100127

[Myrina]

11. oh yeah, is the 'Foundation' giving the money back?

:shrug: Just askin', Mr. Buyer ...

[caraher]

13. Hah!

They're just waiting to complete that long slog to the magic $1M mark at which time they say they can start awarding scholarships. Which should go much faster once Buyer can devote all his time to raising funds for young Hoosiers, right? Since his donors were all about education and not buying access to a congressman, they'll keep giving steadily...:sarcasm:

[orbitalman]

16. Quickkkkk, award some scolarships...just a couple out of all that $. n/t

[Blue_Tires]

24. probably all 'vanished' into offshore accounts

[Blue_Tires]

26. stories like this should be bookmarked for every single assclown

the past two weeks screaming "Give MY hard-earned money to Haiti?? All they're gonna do is waste it!!"

[Judi Lynn]

6. Long overdue. Some of us remember his abuse of office in his involvement

in the military's late arriving absentee ballots, in Florida, in forcing invalid votes to be counted IF they favored _{George W. Bush} during the 2000 Presidential election theft.

[KansDem]

7. Man, what a sweet scam!

It sure beats working for a living!

Now why didn't I think of this? :banghead:

[caraher]

8. Not a moment too soon

He's my rep... never could figure out what he did that kept returning him to DC, not even scoring pork for his district. Ducked debates religiously. Oddly, I don't think this would have kept him from being re-elected. Our local paper never printed a word about the charity controversy.

My only fear is we'll get a devoted teabagger in his place.

[Renew Deal]

9. That was fast

The crew report came out in the last week. It seems that whate he did was pretty dirty.

[Myrina]

10. YAY!!!

Now let's get a progressive Dem in that seat and put some superglue on his/her behind so they stay there!!

(I know, Progressive Dems are damn hard to find in Indiana, but hey ... it might happen)

[caraher]

12. especially in this district

I think I might just have to settle for a repug who's not certifiably insane. Yes, we can... do worse than Buyer! Seriously, general elections here have all the suspense of those in Soviet Russia; Republican primaries are generally the de facto elections. The main exceptions in local races have come when someone slaps a "D" label on to avoid the primary.

[ooglymoogly]

23. Great analysis in just a few sentences.

and very much to the point. I guess we have to be greatfull for the few, (Allan Grayson and a few others), who slip through the caging and good ol' boy election fraud. The D slapping to avoid primaries is very telling and is perhaps the needed clue as to the true meaning of the bluedogs and what we are up against.

[carolinayellowdog]

14. impeachment karma strikes again

Seems like the House Managers keep going down.

[winyanstaz]

15. We need more probes like this for every single

obstructionist in office.

[orbitalman]

17. How many more of these CLOWNS will be FOUND OUT?? n/t

[ooglymoogly]

18. Quelle supreez!!

Just another day in the life of a crooked pug whore, hypocrite. Odd how alike they all are;
Am beginning to think they are all clones of Jim Crow. If you look behind the mirror of any pug, you find the, always hidden, picture of Dorian Gray.

[the jungle]

20. Mean

I think yuns are just being mean. He probably just wants to spend more time with his family. Maybe Steve and Ryan can share a cell.

[bluestateguy]

21. Get to work. Grab his seat in the fall.

nt

[defendandprotect]

22. Buyer would be a good guy to get out of Congress --

[democraticinsurgent]

25. Wife has incurable illness

According to his presser earlier today.

This actually makes sense. Republicans are so rarely punished for their misdeeds like the scandal that was brewing over his foundation. He was a lock for re-election even with the scandal.

[caraher]

27. It does make more sense.

I hope he can do some good for his family after stepping down.

[unabelladonna]

33. the disease is her husband

n/t

[unabelladonna]

34. the disease is her husband

n/t

[alstephenson]

28. Thanks, CREW!!!

[UpInArms]

29. for not actually raising academic assistance money, as it never actually awarded any scholarships

now, that is rich!

a scholarship foundation that does NOT award scholarship!

hahahahahahahahahaha!

[Gin]

30. he cried and said he was leaving politics due to wife's illness.

she cried too....all that easy money going bye bye is making them all cry.

[JI7]

31. another one of the Clinton impeachment whores