Good help isn't hard to find - when Congress members use public employees for their personal campaigns

Washington Monthly, Nov, 1993 by Frank Greve

For instance, two aides to the delegate from American Samoa even flew to Pago Pago at government expense for the 1992 campaign's last 20 days. Did they do any official business 7,500 miles from Washington? "Not really. We took annual leave and we campaigned," one of the aides, Aliimau H. Scanlan, Jr. initially replied. But, Scanlan was reminded, their $2,300 in air fares was justified as "official business." "Oh, I forgot," Scanlan said after a pause. "I made an earlier trip out in August and we campaigned." He declined to produce those travel records, however.

Seem outrageous? Fact is, the rules are so lax that aides have to fudge them much more blatantly than Scanlan to make any trouble for themselves. The only lawmaker who may have run afoul of campaigning rules is retired Rep. Anderson, whose staff helped his stepson, Evan Braude, in a close loss. According to Braude, the FBI is investigating whether his stepfather - but not Braude - misused government resources. Although the Justice Department rarely and reluctantly intervenes in legislative matters, lawmakers can be charged with fraud if they "compensate individuals from public monies for campaign services." Anderson referred to his wife, Lee, as a campaign adviser to her son; she insists aides campaigned on their own time.

The House Ethics committee doesn't care. Only seated members fall within its jurisdiction, meaning that its rules apply only to winners. When exploiting free campaign help, it seems, incumbents just can't lose.