The New York Times: Congressmen traveled to Baku with freebies
“When does a congressional fact-finding trip become an embarrassing junket? Ten House members and 32 of their staff members should be pondering that question now that their all-expenses-paid trip to Baku two years ago has been found by ethics investigators to have been secretly financed by Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil company. That would be a violation of House ethics rules and federal law against foreign governments’ intruding into United States policy,” The New York Times writes in its article titled “To Baku and Back With Freebies.''
The New York Times writes that according to an Office of Congressional Ethics (O.C.E.) report obtained by The Washington Post, the Congressmen's gifts, hotel and airline fees were paid by the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR).
''Lawmakers said they took care to clear the Baku invitation first by obtaining pre-approval from the House Ethics Committee. What’s already clear is the need for the ethics committee to apply far greater scrutiny to trip proposals and their true sponsors when lawmakers seek the cover of pre-approval. In the meantime, the O.C.E. must continue in its vital role of providing oversight and keeping an independent eye on the House,'' the article reads.
In a recent publication, The Washington Post revealed that the state-owned oil company of Azerbaijan, SOCAR, secretly funded an all-expenses-paid trip to a conference in Baku, on the Caspian Sea, in May 2013 for 10 members of Congress and 32 staff members. Three former top aides to President Obama appeared as speakers at the event. The American lawmakers and their staff members received hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of travel expenses, silk scarves, crystal tea sets and Azerbaijani rugs valued at $2,500 to $10,000. Airfare for the lawmakers and some of their spouses cost $112,899.
Related:
Justice Dept. Records Reveal: Azerbaijan Pays Millions to U.S. Firms
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