Thompson Under Investigation by House Ethics Committee

Second District Representative Bennie Thompson is under investigation by the House Committee on Standards as to whether travel may have been funded by lobbyists in violation of House rules.

The House ethics committee is investigating U.S. Congressman Bennie Thompson. MPB’s Cari Gervin has more.

Second District Representative Bennie Thompson has attended the Multinational Business Conference on Caribbean Affairs since 2002. The conference is sponsored by the Carib News, a small New York City paper.

It’s Thompson’s visits in 2007 and 2008 that are under scrutiny from the House Committee on Standards.

Staff member Karis Gutter said Thompson has done nothing wrong.

“Outside of complying completely with the House Committee on Standards, there is no comment. The only comment is that Congressman Thompson and the office are completely cooperating with the committee.”

Thompson did receive advance permission from the ethics committee for the travel. The question is whether any of the travel was actually funded by lobbyists and not just the Carib News.

Thompson’s chief of staff, Lanier Avant, said that it was Thompson’s understanding that the paper was the sole sponsor.

The committee is also investigating four other lawmakers from New York, Michigan, New Jersey and the Virgin Islands who attended the conferences.

For MPB News, I’m Cari Gervin.