Probe of Sensenbrenner junket asked

Flying Jim Sensenbrenner (now we know what the F. is for) appears to have overreached in his quest for frequent free flyer miles, courtesy of special interest groups.

Multi-millionaire Sensenbrenner led all members of Congress in the freebie flying.

But a public interest group in Washington says he may have broken federal law in asking for a free trip. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is asking for an investigation.

Spivak and Bice reported earlier this week:

Last year, the International Management & Development Institute paid for Sensenbrenner, his wife and nine other congressional members to travel to Paris; Stuttgart, Germany; and Liechtenstein. The group, which brings together politicians and corporate execs, is headed by Don Bonker, a former congressman turned lobbyist for APCO Worldwide, an international public affairs firm.

Corporations underwrite the institute, which rents space from APCO.

According to USA Today, the six House Democrats and four House Republicans who took last year's junket visited DaimlerChrysler's corporate headquarters in Stuttgart, where they heard talks from top officials and attended a "gala dinner in the Mercedes-Benz museum."

Bonker, who lobbies for a half-dozen corporate clients, said Tuesday that the institute canceled the annual European jaunt this year because of the fallout of the Jack Abramoff scandal. But he said Sensenbrenner felt so strongly about going on the free expedition - say what you want, the man has his convictions - that the institute organized a special weeklong trip to Berlin and Lichtenstein in February just for him and his wife.

CREW says:

Rep. Sensenbrenner’s conduct may have violated the federal law that prohibits Members from soliciting a gift from any person who has interests before the House. 5 U.S.C. § 7353. This provision limits not only what government officials may accept, but also that for which they may ask.

“If Rep. Sensenbrenner and his wife would like to travel to Europe then they should pay for it themselves like everyone else,” Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW said today. “The Department of Justice should open an investigation to determine whether Rep. Sensenbrenner violated federal law by asking IMDI to organize and pay over $11,0000 for the week-long trip.”