Gannett on Thompson's Vacations

The Clarion Ledger Washington Bureau made an attempt to report on Thompson's lobbyist funded travel that we discussed here and here. The Chairman of Vacation Security

took nine privately sponsored trips last year, based on a review of records by Gannett News Service. He visited the Caribbean island of St. Maarten with his wife and traveled to London; Daytona Beach, Fla.; Orlando, Fla.; Las Vegas; Albany, N.Y., and other destinations.

"The congressman sees it as part of his responsibilities as a member of Congress and as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee to learn as much as he can through firsthand experience," said Lanier Avant, Thompson's chief of staff.

[insert laughs here]

In 2007, the new Democratic Congress moved to tighten restrictions on the hundreds of privately funded trips lawmakers were taking each year.

The rules, which took effect in mid-2007, barred lobbyists from traveling with lawmakers, a favorite way to get the attention of a congressman or senator.

The new rules also specified that travel funded by companies employing lobbyists was limited to one-day stays, and they required that every trip be pre-approved by House and Senate ethics panels. The rules were relaxed for nonprofit groups, which are allowed to pay for trips that are several days long.

Thompson's trip to Daytona Beach was sponsored by the Law Enforcement Executive Development Association. The visit to Las Vegas was sponsored by the United Steelworkers union. A trip to St. Louis was paid for by the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, and another to Albany was funded by Williams College.

Thompson also allowed his staffers to accept privately funded trips. Three who work for him on the House Homeland Security Committee traveled to Turkey last year...to promote interfaith and intercultural dialogue.

[more laughs]