Sunday, May 13, 2007
Toledo Blade has the latest explanation
From the notorious Republican congressmoop from Tiffin or Dublin Ohio, Paul Gillmor. Mr Gillmor, whose house in another Congressional district is pictured above, does not actually own the house. According to a letter to the Toledo Blade two weeks ago,
Mr. Gillmor wrote that the Columbus-based law firm and lobbyist Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease has the property for him in a trust, a vehicle that ensures moneyed public officials a degree of privacy from public disclosures.Now, after proper consultation with his attorney, his spokesman has a new explanation.
All congressmen must notify the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct before transferring assets into a trust.
The House Legislative Resource Center contains no record of notification by Mr. Gillmor. And the past 10 years of financial disclosures by the Republican congressman indicate that no such trust exists.
His spokesman, Mr. Mascho, said Friday that a trustlike entity that is “not a trust” controls the house, so there is no need to provide notification to Congress.At least we think it was an attorney, he could have been a shovel salesman. And another thing, why doesn't he want to live amongst his loyal peasants?
“The congressman’s house was never placed in trust,” reads a statement released Friday by Mr. Gillmor’s office. “There was simply no reason to create an independent trust as it would have served no purpose and would only have added expense and delay.”
Residencies are exempt from financial disclosure, but in Mr. Gillmor’s earlier letter he wrote that his property holdings “are only real estate investments.”
“Gillmor’s response raises an issue of whether the property is properly characterized as an investment, in which event it would have to be disclosed in his financial disclosure statements,” said Karl Sandstrom, a Washington lawyer who specializes in congressional ethics.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
Post a Comment