Mr. Lungren Goes To… Hawaii
Dan Lungren is no stranger to California politics. Former state attorney general. 1998 GOP candidate for governor.
And... he's apparently no stranger to the chaise lounges sitting poolside on Hawaii's Big Island.
Tonight's investigative report on ABC News featured one of the most bizarre politician-apparently-caught-on-tape explanations you'll ever see. And Lungren, who represents the Sacramento suburbs in the U.S. House of Representatives, is the pol in the hotseat.
The story in a nutshell: a new federal ethics law bans lobbyists from paying the way for members of Congress to symposiums that look more like lavish vacations. And while the law apparently stopped most lawmakers from attending a Hawaiian getaway in January sponsored by the American Association of Airport Executives, it didn't stop Rep. Lungren.
Here's where it gets interesting.
ABC reports that AAAE threw a political fundraiser for Lungren at the same resort where the association's annual gathering was also underway. And thanks to donations to the fundraiser, the network's report claims Lungren was able to use $4,900 of lobbyist "donations" to pay for the trip... thereby avoiding any direct "gift" from AAAE.
And now, the payoff: ABC's interview with Lungren, a chance for the veteran lawmaker to explain how he appeared to have found a clever way around the new ethics rules.
Hopefully, the video will be posted later so you can see it for yourself... because the following ABC online version doesn't do it justice:
"Organizations have their conventions usually at nice places," Rep. Lungren told ABC News. "I'll admit I like to go to that particular one."
Lungren, a member of a key committee that oversees airport security issues, insisted he carried out important discussions with airport executives while at the pool. "I'm a California kid," Rep. Lungren told ABC News. "I grew up around pools. We do a lot of business around pools." Asked if he would have attended if the January conference were held in Pittsburgh, Lungren said, "Do I look like I go to Pittsburgh in January?"
Lungren delivered most of the comments above while smiling at ABC chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross.
It's unclear why the story, documented back in the winter, only aired tonight. But one has to wonder how his explanation on national TV fared with constituents in the tony suburbs of Sacramento.
