Really Full Disclosure
New way to bedevil those working in and for Congress, from the website LegiStorm's press release:
LegiStorm, the Web site that first caused controversy in Washington by publishing congressional staffer salaries, has now launched the first database of personal financial disclosures for thousands of the most powerful aides.
By law, members of Congress and their highest paid staff - who tend to be the most powerful on Capitol Hill - are required annually to disclose information about their personal finances, including details about their debts, stock portfolio, outside earned income, spousal employment, major gifts received and even their gambling winnings.
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Rules from the House of Representatives state, "The objectives of financial disclosure are to inform the public about the financial interests of government officials in order to increase public confidence in the integrity of government and to deter potential conflicts of interest."
[LegiStorm founder Jock] Friedly expects controversy with the new free database. "I understand that congressional aides want to jealously guard their privacy and I sympathize," he said. "However, these are the behind-the-scenes power players who control a $3.1 trillion federal budget and write all the laws of the land. It's hard to argue that they are not important public figures worthy of a little scrutiny."
Start your private investigation at LegiStorm today!
