But the Houston Chronicle reported over the weekend on a new, arguably more serious problem for the far-right Texan.
Both as a candidate and as a congressman, Rep. Steve Stockman of Clear Lake has failed to make federally required disclosures about business affiliations that stretch from Texas to the British Virgin Islands, and has provided no details about the business he claims as his sole source of income.
Every member of Texas’ congressional delegation — in both parties — filed his or her federal disclosure forms last year, as is required by law, except Stockman. When he eventually filed a bare-bones report several months late, it included $350,000 in salary and fees from an unexplained entity called “Presidential Trust Marketing.”
Making matters slightly worse, Kathleen Clark, a professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis and a specialist in government ethics, told the Houston Chronicle that the congressman’s forms exclude disclosures Stockman is required to make, including information on Stockman’s business relationships, bank accounts, and the value of his businesses.
When the Chronicle sought an explanation, Stockman and his aides refused to answer questions.
Clark added, “Did anyone review this? Has the House Ethics Committee followed up? It just seems very odd.”
House Ethics Committee, I believe that’s your cue.
