Vote for THE Most Corrupt Member of Congress

Members on this year’s list engaged in misconduct ranging from misusing congressional staff to orchestrating and accepting illegal campaign contributions, and even using campaign donations for personal expenses.

Although CREW assigns no ranking system to the list, this is your chance to get your voice heard and tell us who YOU think is the THE Most Corrupt member for 2012.

Vote now, then follow us on Twitter and Facebook where we'll annouce the "winner."

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		Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ): Donors to Rep. Andrews’ campaigns likely have no idea that the congressman is treating his campaign account like a personal piggybank. The Garden State Democrat got caught spending campaign funds on perks like a family trip to Scotland, travel to Tinseltown with his daughter, and even a high school graduation party. Click here to learn more.

		Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY): In 2012, the New York Democrat intervened to help a constituent obtain permits to hold a fireworks display during his son’s Bar Mitzvah. The constituent and his wife then made a combined donation of $5,000 to Rep. Bishop’s campaign. Click here to learn more.

		Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA): The Georgia Republican can’t keep his story straight about the true source of thousands of dollars of loans to his campaign. He then repeatedly made conflicting statements about the loans before amending reports — which still left many questions unresolved. Click here to learn more.

		Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL): The Florida representative is still the chief fundraiser for House Republicans — even though his own campaign’s fundraising broke just about every law on the books. He's been accused of forcing employees to contribute to his campaigns, and then using corporate funds to reimburse them. To cover up his scheme, Rep. Buchanan allegedly tried to make his business partner sign a false affidavit in exchange for $2.9 million. Click here to learn more.

		Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY): Federal investigators are probing whether a crooked fundraiser, Ofer Biton, helped the New York Republican raise illegal funds in exchange for a promise to help obtain a green card. Mr. Biton allegedly solicited large sums from donors, including several pornography distributors, frequently breaking campaign contribution limits in the process, all in the hope that, once in office, Rep. Grimm would help him procure a green card. Click here to learn more.

		Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY): After another year, multiple ongoing investigations into the New York Democrat's behind-the-scenes dealings and crooked campaign donors remain frustratingly opaque. From interest free loans, ties to a convicted felon and numerous nonprofits whose finances are under scrutiny, the report on Rep. Meeks "has it all." Click here to learn more.

		Rep. Laura Richardson (D-CA): In 2012, for the second campaign cycle in a row, the California Democrat bullied and coerced her official staff into working on her reelection campaign. She repeatedly obstructed the Ethics Committee’s investigation, encouraging staff members to lie to the committee and withholding requested documents. In August 2012, as part of a conciliation between the Committee and Rep. Richardson, she accepted a reprimand from the full House and agreed to pay a $10,000 fine. Click here to learn more.

		Rep. David Rivera (R-FL): The Miami Republican remains under investigation for failing to report income from a consulting firm connected to his family. In August, reports surfaced that Rep. Rivera had supported a candidate in the four-way Democratic primary for his House seat, allegedly providing envelopes stuffed with cash. Vendors alleged that Rep. Rivera had been involved in illegally paying for his opponent’s mailers. Click here to learn more.

		Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY): Adding to the long list of earmarks he’s steered to well-connected campaign contributors, Rep. Rogers has shown yet again that he’s earned the title “Prince of Pork.” The Kentucky Republican earmarked millions of dollars for a Kentucky manufacturer, to produce replacement parts for the military, even though a competitor says it produces a similar product at one-eighth the cost. Click here to learn more.

		Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL): When it comes to earmarking taxpayer dollars for an institution that contributes to their family income, Rep. Stearns and his wife make a great team. The Florida Republican earmarked millions of dollars for the College of Central Florida, where his wife works and has received numerous promotions. He secured several of these earmarks after rule changes required members to affirm that they had no financial interest in requested earmarks. Click here to learn more.

		Sen. David Vitter (R-LA): Every year, Sen. David Vitter seems to find new ways to outdo his previous deplorable conduct. The Louisiana Republican threatened to block a pay raise for Interior Secretary Ken Salazar unless the secretary agreed to issue more deepwater drilling permits. Although the Senate Ethics Committee rebuked Sen. Vitter and warned him not to engage in similar conduct in the future, he's boasted that he would continue to block pending pay increases for the Secretary. Click here to learn more.

		Rep. Don Young (R-AK): A long-running FBI investigation produced clear evidence that Rep. Young earmarked millions to a campaign contributor and used campaign funds to pay for personal expenses for himself and his wife. After a lawsuit, CREW obtained documents about the FBI’s investigation into the earmark revealing that the bureau also investigated Rep. Young and his late wife for using campaign contributions to pay personal expenses like meals, travel, and dry cleaning. Click here to learn more.

Vote for THE Most Corrupt Member of Congress

Voter Information

Most Corrupt 2012