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Lungren's poolside ploy: An ethical belly-flop

Editorial Staff - Sacramento Bee

Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, June 8, 2008

Story appeared in FORUM section, Page E6

(Watch the related ABC News video here.)

ABC News recently ran a story that featured U.S. Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River, hanging around a Hawaiian resort in a bathing suit.

It was shocking that ABC News didn't provide a warning – "viewer discretion advised" – before airing such footage. Even more disturbing was Lungren's reason for being in Hawaii.

Congress, as you might recall, passed an ethics-reform law in the wake of the Jack Abramoff scandal. Part of the law was aimed at preventing lobbyists from bankrolling lavish vacations for members of Congress and their families.

But in a display of bipartisan innovation, Lungren and Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, have figured out a way to skirt the restrictions. According to ABC, lobbyists for the American Association of Airport Executives arranged to throw fund-raisers for Lungren and Inouye at the group's annual confab in Hawaii. That allowed the lawmakers to bill their campaign operations for the trips.

Lungren reportedly raised $20,000 in two hours at a fundraiser held on a private terrace of the Hapuna Beach Prince Resort. That gave him plenty of time to attend lobbyist' receptions (one of which included a pig on a spit) and talk business with executives around the pool.

"I'm a California kid," a bearded Lungren told ABC in justifying how he spent his time. "I grew up around pools. We do a lot of business around pools."

Based on comments posted on the ABC News Web site, some of Lungren's constituents are eager to provide him with more leisure time – outside of a congressional office. Lungren is free to raise funds in Hawaii all he wants, but he still has to come back to his district to face his constituents. And though they live in California, most of them don't have pools.