Rep. Owens and Fellow Democrat Addie Russell
While the Congressman has insisted he felt the trip by he and his wife was to bring jobs to NNY, others felt it was an improper junket.Continued probes may be interesting to political insiders, but what does it matter.
In 2012 a well-funded GOP challenger was not able to impress voters that the trip mattered, and that ultimately is the judgment that matters.
Mr. Owens said he had since reimbursed the $22,000 for the trip.
Report: Owens 'Knew Or Should Have Known' Source Of Taiwan Trip | WWNY TV 7 - News, Weather and Sports for | Local News
21 comments:
A free$tuff guy took free$tuff himself and his free$tuff voters gave him a freepas$ on his indiscretion$.
The free$tuff voters are worried or they wouldn't be attacking Doheny on this blog still.
NRCC’s Ian Prior Is Comical:
(Below) Ian Prior said in a statement as reported by Channel 7
The reaction from the National Republican Congressional Committee Wednesday night was swift: "Instead of focusing on representing his constituents back home, Bill Owens took a $22,000 trip to Taiwan and stayed in a $500 per night hotel - all on the dime of Taiwan and its lobbyists," said Ian Prior, an NRCC spokesman. "Not only was this behavior hopelessly out-of-touch, but it may have also been against the law. This is certainly not the kind of behavior that the people of the 21st District of New York are looking for in their Congressman,"
What’s so funny about Prior, is how quick he is to forget that ProPublica also went after Rep. Bill Owens 2012 Congressional election opponent Matt Doheny, after Matt said upon assuming office I’d like to invest seed money in starting businesses in North Country, or get investors to do so, and I’m willing to oversee or even help manage those businesses to create jobs in NNY.
ProPublica and The Post Star in Glenn Falls who ultimately endorsed Matt Doheny, were quick to voice their astonishment that someone running for Congress –Matt Doheny –could be so naive about what a glaring conflict of interests that would be, ‘representing NY 21 in Congress, while giving favorable treatment to companies you invested in as start-ups, and have a vested interest in seeing earn high profits.” They had to explain to Mr. Doheny – obviously no beacon of ethics – that he would be engaging in a conflict of interest and likely illegal financial activity for a sitting Congressman.
Afterwards Matt Doheny backed off the idea of financing start-ups to create jobs in NNY altogether, but clearly showed he’d likely make mistakes in what a Congressman ethical behavior should consist of in attempting to bring jobs to NNY..
First of all Bill Owens explanation is the simple truth, “I hold myself and my office to the highest of ethical standards. Which is why, in abundance of caution, I have already personally reimbursed the sponsor of the trip for the cost,” he said.
Owens has said the purpose of his trip was to meet with a high tech company that was considering opening a plant in upstate New York, and more generally to encourage investment in the north country.” Secondly trips like this often get into murky water in terms of trips qualifying or not qualifying under something called the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act.
In any case the Congressman moved quickly and paid the 22,000 or so out of pocket expenses once he realized that there might be ethics issues about the trips sponsor. "The Hill" newspaper notes that the ethics committee stopped short of setting up a formal subcommittee to investigate Owens. In other words this is likely to be resolved quickly and without future censure of any kind.
Mike Flynn ‘Middle Class Mike’
Actually I think he went over there on business like he said in an attempt to lure a company of two up her to us.. Wouldnt it have been great if he could have lured one of the businesses Dohney resourced over seas back to the states..
And news to top this off is the refusal of Pat Ritchie to attempt the help her home county. The Gouvernor basicly made a liar out of her in Potsdam so now her excuses for not helping are very limited. Ritchie of Heuvelton is afraid of loosing her tea Party support and the Norquist money for campaigning apparently.
This crap is excusable conduct but the postal service dropping saturday deliveries is "Outrageous"..his words from NJ story.ya right..
This issue is dead. Owens acknowledged the error and remedied it. Doheny had a $35,00 campaign finance error that he also acknowledged and quickly remedied too. We all have bigger fish to fry. Time to move on.
Why would anyone worry.. You claim free stuff must be worried... Doheny lost because is lack of crediblilty but Im more concerned about you state of mental anguish 857.. You blame the Democrats for free stuff so why would the people who put them in worry. Their in.. Entrenched in the State, Counties, cities and the Federal Government. The Republican party is in disray and will soon not exist unless some thinking changes.. Your apparently a Republican who hates free stuff but would rather see the benefit of everything go to the rich.. I never could understand people like you.
Doheny may have been well-funded but his ethical lapses were worse than Owens. Owens loses next time to any candidate not named Doheny or Hoffman and that doesn't have an ethical cloud hanging over their head. I heard Foti is looking closely and plans to make a decision later this year. That would send shivers down Owens spine and Doheny back to his drunkboating days.
Who's attacking Doheny, 8:57? Both Doheny and Owens have ethical problems. Voters decided to go with the lesser of 2 evils. Neither are ideal for NNY but when faced with the BUI cheater vs free trip stealer, the voters chose Owens. Voters were robbed of the chance to chose someone that truly reflects the values of NNY'ers.
Ethics practiced by our members of Congress? Is that an oxymoron ... thought so. Their motto: "We don't need no stinkin' ethics. If we get caught doing whatever is wrong and that we're up to, we will just pay the money back and move on, and hope the people soon forget or agree with us."
And, they say we need more lawyers in congress ... kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it?
I thought it was February? November seems to have came and gone. I think the election was over a few months back. Or do you have them now too?
Somewhere in NYC Matt Doheny must be asking himself how he lost to Owens...
Was Addie invited?????????
“Your apparently a Republican who hates free stuff but would rather see the benefit of everything go to the rich.. I never could understand people like you.”
You nailed it. I’ve wondered about this myself. The only conclusion I see for the apparent double standard is blind stupidity.
At least Mikey is now crediting the news agencies where he steals his posts from. That is a big improvement. At least when I skip over his garbage I know where the garbage was taken from. He's like a newzjunky within a blog. Very cool, very boring.
If one has any doubt of why this nation is on its way out, take a look at the photo of those two. Owens Pelosi and Addie Jenne Whatever. One works under a desk for his boss and the other cleans desks for hers. And they are both supposedly representing us.
First, doesn't some one have to prove that Owens was doing some thing wrong? That's what I like about some people, wrong doing because some one said so.
Crazy Ray is what is wrong with our country. Apparently he thinks he only needs to pay attention to whats going on with his politicians during the last week of October. And he thinks he needs "proof" for it to sway his vote?
I'd love to understand what you are trying to say and respond in the same. But I don't. Are you trying to say I should worry about who I voted for in November all year long. Maybe? October? All I worried about then was putting away the outside stuff and getting ready for Winter. What is (proof for it to sway his vote)? Can you be clear on you questions? If you are posting about the IHOP, well yes Owens still owes me the free stuff.
I don't care if Owens does naked cartwheels down Arsenal. At the end of the day, he has lived in the district and continues to live here so compared to Doheny he was the better choice (really, only choice). Doheny pretended to set up camp here in Watertown but the minute his political aspirations in the north country went up in smoke he packed up and moved back to New York City. And before you people talk about how he needs to earn a living after devoting three years to campaigning, whatever happened to North Country Capital??? The Watertown based business he supposedly started. Was that all for show to prove he was a local? The office has been empty for months.
Even in his concession speech he said he was going on a honeymoon but that he would be back. He's been gone for more then 3 months...that's some honeymoon.
I saw Doheny out shoveling his driveway just a few days ago. He hasn't gone anywhere. Why not leave the man alone?
9:04- I have no issue with Matt, but just to get the facts straight, that was Matt's uncle, not Matt. He takes care of the house when Matt is away, Matt's wife never quit her job in New York City, so they are both back in New York.
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