BREAKING: CREW files ethics complaint against Senator John McCain for failing to disclose gambling winnings
Today, CREW filed a complaint against Senator John McCain (R-AZ) with the Senate Ethics Committee. CREW wants that committee to investigate whether Senator McCain violated federal law and Senate rules by failing to disclose gambling winnings on his Senate financial disclosure reports. In contrast to House rules, Senate rules allow outsiders to file ethics complaints. Senate rules also require the Ethics Committee to conduct a preliminary inquiry of the complaint. A copy of our complaint can be found here.
According to a recent article in The New York Times , Sen. McCain is an avid gambler, who frequents casinos as often as once a month. The article states that in the winter of 2000, at the Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut, “[Sen. McCain] and his entourage emerged with thousands of dollars in winnings.” Sen. McCain also reportedly spent a weekend at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2007, playing craps while there.
In July, Time reported that over the past decade, Sen. McCain has gambled on Mississippi riverboats, on Indian land, in Caribbean craps pits and on the Las Vegas strip, allegedly playing “for a few thousand dollars at a time.” In 2005, The New Yorker reported that while in New Orleans in the spring of that year, Sen. McCain gambled at Harrah’s Casino.
Federal law and Senate rules require all income to be reported on annual financial disclosure reports. The Senate Ethics Manual states that winnings, such as those derived from a lottery or a game show, are gifts that must be reported as income. Knowingly filing a false report is a crime punishable by up to five years in jail.
Nevertheless, Sen. McCain reported no income derived from gambling on the personal financial disclosure reports he filed with the Senate between 2000 and 2007.
In contrast, other members of Congress, including Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) all reported winnings on their financial disclosure reports.
CREW’s executive director Melanie Sloan issued this statement when we filed the complaint:
Given Sen. McCain’s long history of gambling, the fact that he never included gambling income on his financial disclosure forms suggests he is either the unluckiest gambler ever or, more likely, he failed to report the income.
The Senate Ethics Committee should investigate whether Sen. McCain deliberately failed to report gambling winnings, and if so, the matter should be turned over to the Department of Justice for a criminal investigation.
So it turns out both Palin and McCain cheat on their taxes.
Tax cheats cost us all money. Since McCain is, according to these accounts, a tax cheat (he has had thousands in winnings at times and has never reported them) he's costing us money. He's taking money out of all our pockets, including Anonymous above. Tell me, Anonymous, are you always so sanguine about people who steal from you?
McCain
You are talking about John McCain and cheating on taxes, but you condone the money Obama has taken from a terrorist to help his Senate campaign. Hiding the fact he gave ACORN, 800,000.00, hid it, when he got caught, he back tracked as usual and said, oh it must have been a clerical error. He is trying to keep under wraps, taking money from ACORN as a campaign donation. ACORN is supposed to be non partisan organization, yet they endorsed Obama, he knew that but took the money any way and tried to hide it.
This CREW is supposed to be non-partisan, yet Melanie Sloan the ex is the one filing these things to the FEC. Ok, do you see Obamas name even mentioned?? No she has not, we that are smarter than that are the only ones mentioning it.
That is a blatant misuse of this site, of the CREW organization. Not only is it UN ethical it clearly makes a statement, she is biased. She should be investigated, check how she spends money that is donated.
How about investigating the government computers that were used to delve into Joe the Plumbers back ground, looked up his tax records, now that is a FRAUD.
People that have a political agenda will do any thing to destroy other people.
Nonsense... you have lost your credibility.
Are you kidding me? The New York Times, The New Yorker? 2000? Entourage? How much where you paid to pull this one out of your ass? Find some other corruption and keep yourselves useful!
Syndicate this content
complaint on McCain
I see your organization is nothing more than a joke! So how much has the Obama campaign paid you or perhaps they promised you something? Either way, it's more than obvious that this organization is nothing other than a left wing terrorizing group. So go on now, do your master's will and keep on those who cross his path.