“The rules are clear, Members of Congress can’t accept free legal services, but for years Rep. Schmidt allowed lawyers to work on her behalf without so much as questioning her failure to receive a bill” said CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan

Cox News' Middletown Journal has well-written piece on status of everything

Submitted by Christopher Finney on April 3, 2013 - 10:14pm

It can be tough for a reporter new to the Schmidt v. Krikorian story to understand all the twists and turns in the long and winding tale.

Yet this piece in today's Middletown Journal really captures everything very nicely, and adds the perspectives of a national expert on ethics to the mix.  An especially nice touch was actually calling Ms. Schmidt to ask for her perspective.  After all, we certainly want balance in reporting about these matters.

COAST has a good entry up on Jean Schmidt's termination report

Submitted by Christopher Finney on March 12, 2013 - 9:57pm

Well, rules are rules, and if you are Jean Schmidt, rules are meant to be completely and blithely ignored.

Thus, as she left Congress under the cloud of an ethical scandal over massive illegal contributions to her from the Turkish Coalition of America, it was curious that she decided again to refuse to come clean with her constituents as required by the law.

Well, one more "final" insult

Submitted by Christopher Finney on March 4, 2013 - 10:54pm

Our last entry (below) is entitled the "Final Insult," as we thought it would be, but today's Enquirer features yet another story of Jean Schmidt blithely and completely ignoring her obligations under the law, this time her failure to file a final personal financial disclosure form with the House clerk.  

Read here as the COAST blog features the next insult of Jean Schmidt to the law, to the House Ethics Committee and to her constituents.

The final insult

Submitted by Christopher Finney on February 2, 2013 - 12:31am

Today we obtained a copy of Jean Schmidt's final trust fund report for her period of service as a Congressman, her fourth quarter 2012 report.  It showed, once again, that there were no contributions and no expenditures during this reporting period.

So much for her statement that "she always intended to pay" her legal fees.  It all sounds pretty funny now.

Even as a former Congressman, Jean Schmidt still has an active legal expense fund.  Should you want to coontribute, we are sure she would appreciate it. 

House Ethics Committee issues its year-end 2012 report

Submitted by Christopher Finney on January 1, 2013 - 12:07pm

The House Ethics Committee has issued its 2012 report entitled "Activities of the Committee on Ethics for the 112th Congress" and in there, gloriously, at pages 33-35 recounts: