Ford ranked second for most trips paid by private sources
The independent and nonpartisan PoliticalMoneyLine.com reported that private groups paid a total of $58,651 for Ford’s 60 trips, just behind the 61 trips taken by former Louisiana Sen. John Breaux at a cost of $162,496.
Ford’s trips took him across the country on speaking engagements before law school classes, church groups, doctors, NAACP chapters and private company groups. One of the most expensive trips Ford took was to Los Angeles for an appearance on the television program “Politically Incorrect.”
Ford, a Democrat serving his fourth term in Congress, said Tuesday that his trips all have been properly disclosed.
“I’ve spoken at 63 different places in eight years, since they’ve been doing the accounting,” Ford told WZTV of Nashville while in town for speaking engagements. “But all of it’s disclosed and I think public officials should have to disclose everything.”
Ford and his chief of staff, Mark Schuermann, said the congressman has even previously paid his own way to make personal appearances.
“In every instance, the congressman followed the rules of the House of Representatives and traveled to speak about legislative policies and learn about a subject matter important to his district,” Schuermann said in a statement from Washington.
U.S. Rep. John Duncan, R-Tenn., was first among Tennessee lawmakers in money spent on travel, taking 17 trips totaling $85,755.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., took 26 trips totaling $36,966 during the period, PoliticalMoneyLine.com reported.
U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., led all legislators with outside interests spending $167,960 on trips during the five-year period, the group reported.
Ford has said he plans to run for the U.S. Senate in 2006, hoping to take the seat expected to be vacated by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. Frist has said he will not run for re-election to the post and is considered by some observers to be a possible candidate for president in 2008.
Records released Tuesday show private parties paid for 16 trips by Ford to Tennessee, nine to Florida, five each to Massachusetts and New York, four to Detroit and two to Las Vegas.
The watchdog group also tracks government-paid, official fact-finding travel. It ranked U.S. Rep. John Tanner, D-Tenn., 13th out of 568 current or retired House members in that category in the last 10 years. Tanner has been active in the NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly and many of his 31 trips, totaling $60,907, were to Europe.
Ford was ranked 495th in the fact-finding trips category, taking just one trip: a visit to Kuwait, Iraq and Israel in August 2003.
U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., took five official trips overseas in 2003 and 2004.
“A member should always consider what an official trip provides their district. There has to be a benefit to the people you represent,” Blackburn said. “With Fort Campbell in the Seventh District and war in the Middle East, I’ve made it a priority to spend time with our troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Blackburn’s six privately funded trips, totaling $8,787, were paid for by the Washington County Republican Party, Tennessee Malt Beverage Association, Republican National Committee and Heritage Foundation.
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Information from: The Commercial Appeal, www.thecommercialappeal.com
Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press, www.timesfreepress.com
Information from WZTV-TV, Nashville, http://www.wztv.com