By Michael Beckel on November 30, 2011 12:30 PM
Today, the nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.).
The complaint alleges the eleven-term congressman illegally used tens of thousands of dollars contributed to his campaign to pay for a luxurious trip to Scotland to attend a donor’s wedding, a graduation party for one of his daughters and to support his other daughter’s acting and singing career, based on reporting by the New Jersey Star-Ledger.
Andrews, who says he did not violate the law, has raised about $14.2 million over his career, including $280,100 through September of this year.
And that's not including the $62,000 that Andrew's leadership PAC -- the Committee to Strengthen America -- raised during the first half of the year.
According to research by the Center for Responsive Politics, Andrews' top supporters over the years have been the financial sector and labor unions. Both of these sectors have given him about $1.7 million -- or about 12 percent of his total war chest.
Lawyers and lobbyists, meanwhile, have given Andrews $1.5 million over his career.
Nearly 40 percent of the money Andrews has raised over his career has come from political action committees, according to the Center's research, including the PACs of many political heavyweights.
The PAC of the American Association for Justice, for instance, the nation's main trial lawyer association, has given Andrews $96,000 over the years. The PAC of the Teamsters Union has also given Andrews $96,000 over his career.
These two groups rank as the No. 1 organizational donors to Andrews, according to the Center's research.
Individual donors have given Andrews about $172,400 through the first three quarters of 2011, accounting for about 62 percent of the money he's raised.
Melanie Sloan, the executive director of CREW, recently told the Star-Ledger that such funds are not intended for politicians to spend on personal expenses.
"When you donate to a member of Congress, it doesn't mean it's for them to spend at will," Sloan told the Star-Ledger. "It's not a personal piggy bank."
Meanwhile, in a statement to OpenSecrets Blog, Andrews dismissed CREW's complaint as "baseless," and he pledged to stay focused on the needs of his constituents.
"Since I have had the honor of serving in public office, in all respects at all times, I have followed both the spirit and the letter of campaign finance laws," Andrews said.
"The complaint filed against my campaign is baseless," he continued. "The campaign has fully complied with all laws with respect to the proper expenditure and disclosure of campaign funds. All personal aspects of any expenditures or activities have always been paid in full from our family’s personal funds."
Earlier this month, Andrews told the Star-Ledger that all the expenditures in question came after consulting with lawyers, who gave him the green light.
"We have legal advice, and before we make any expenditure like that we listen to legal advice," Andrews told the Star-Ledger earlier this month. "We're convinced this is an appropriate expenditure to thank and support someone who has given us a lot of time and effort."
Since the Star-Ledger first broke the story, Andrews has maintained that he acted legally, but he promised to refund his campaign more than $9,000.
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