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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Report Scrutinizes Kempthorne Travel

Dirk Kempthorne was among a number of top Bush administration officials who used the ruse of official business to campaign at taxpayer expense for Republican congressional candidates in 2006, according to a report by an independent federal agency. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel says the practice resulted “in the expenditure of untold amounts of U.S. Treasury funds that had been appropriated to accomplish (each) agency’s mission — not to ‘get Republicans elected.’” The 118-page report, which says the agency doesn’t plan to pursue action against the officials, details two Kempthorne trips. Kempthorne, now CEO of the American Council of Life Insurers in Washington, D.C., was too busy Wednesday to comment, according to ACLI spokesman Jack Dolan/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here. (AP file photo, from March 16, 2006: Bush announces that Kempthorne is the new Secretary of the Interior)

Question: Is this a case of "everybody does it, so why not"?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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