WASHINGTON – A Hoosier congressman may use some of the $960,000 in his campaign account to pay the legal expenses of current and former employees who are caught up in corruption investigations, the Federal Election Commission said Thursday in a draft opinion.
The commission will vote Thursday.
Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-1st, asked for permission to use campaign donations to pay for legal fees and expenses stemming from a Justice Department investigation into whether a defunct lobbying firm made illegal campaign contributions to Visclosky and two other House Democrats.
The FEC said Visclosky’s former chief of staff has been subpoenaed by the grand jury.
According to news accounts, a federal grand jury is looking into whether PMA Group and its employees gave campaign donations to members of Congress in exchange for receiving money for projects sought by their clients. The FBI raided the PMA offices in November.
Visclosky’s subcommittee has approved projects for PMA’s clients, and Visclosky has received campaign donations from PMA, its clients and its officers. Visclosky’s former chief of staff was one of PMA’s lobbyists.
In its draft opinion, the FEC said Visclosky’s campaign donations may be used for the legal fees of current and former employees as long as the investigations involve Visclosky’s actions as a lawmaker.
Visclosky got permission in June to use his campaign donations for his own legal fees in the case. A report he filed with the FEC in July said he had paid $1,945 to a law firm during the spring.
