Watchdog Asks Senate To Investigate Vitter

Sept. 22, 2010 — -- A watchdog group has asked Congress to investigate whether Sen. David Vitter, R.-Louisiana, violated senate rules by using government funds to pay for a troubled aide to travel to Louisiana for court appearances and to perform court-ordered community service.

In a complaint lodged with the Senate Ethics Committee Tuesday, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) also asked the committee to investigate whether Vitter broke rules by paying aide Brent Furer's salary while Furer was on leave pending prosecution for an alleged knife-point attack on his ex-girlfriend.

"American taxpayers have a right to expect that their hard-earned dollars are spent on the people's business and not assisting a staff member facing criminal charges for drunk driving and domestic violence," said CREW executive director Melanie Sloan in the complaint. "Senator Vitter's continued protection of Mr. Furer – a clearly troubled and dangerous person – does not reflect creditably upon the Senate and merits the Committee's inquiry."

ABC News revealed in June that Furer had had repeated brushes with the law dating back to the 1990s, that he had an open warrant for his arrest in Baton Rouge on a drunk driving charge, and had been arrested for attacking his ex-girlfriend with a knife.

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Furer, who apparently worked on women's issues in the senator's D.C. office, had allegedly threatened to kill the ex-girlfriend and held her at knife-point during a 90-minute ordeal in 2008. He pleaded guilty to three offenses in connection with the incident.

Furer resigned after the ABC News report.

CREW's complaint alleges that Senate records say Furer flew to New Orleans on Oct. 12, 2007 and back to Washington on Oct. 18, 2007 on flights paid for by Vitter's expense account. While in Louisiana, Furer pleaded guilty to drunk driving and served on a litter detail.

The complaint alleges that Senate records say Vitter again paid for flights to and from Louisiana in August 2008. While in Louisiana, Furer signed a probation agreement.

The complaint also claims that records show Vitter paid Furer's salary in 2008 while Furer was on leave following the knifepoint attack. CREW alleges that although Furer was out of the office from soon after the January attack until after his April plea bargain, he was paid for all but five days during the period.Robert Kelner of the DC law firm Covington & Burling, whose practice includes defending clients in Congressional investigations, said the allegations CREW made "are somewhat common."

"Most times that allegations of this sort are made," said Kelner, "they ultimately are thrown out and in most cases like this the penalties are not significant, unless CREW has proof of some kind of intentional scheme."In July, Vitter was confronted by reporters in Louisiana wanting to know why he kept Furer on his staff for two years after the violent incident, and what if any discipline his office imposed after he learned of Furer's guilty pleas.

Vitter said the issue has been "misrepresented" and "misreported," and he called it old news."Well, the event was two years ago. The discipline he got in the office was two years ago," Vitter told reporters.

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When asked why he had assigned Furer to handle women's issues, Vitter said that he had done no such thing.

"He was not," Vitter said. "That's just one of several issues that have been completely misreported. Tanya Newman, Nicole Herbert in my office are assigned to women's issues. That's always been the case."

However, numerous legislative guide books over the past several years identify Furer as Vitter's point man on women's issues. And Beth Meeks, the executive director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence said in an interview that she had been in Washington in June – just before news of the incident went public – and that Vitter had assigned Furer to meet with her to discuss the senator's views on domestic violence legislation. She said she was advised that Furer was the senator's point man on women's issues.

CREW's complaint also asks the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate whether Vitter broke rules by allegedly "falsely stating Mr. Furer did not work on women's issues in his office."

Representatives of Sen. Vitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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