VERN BUCHANAN (FL-13)

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Headlines

Ethics:

  • G.O.P. Congressional Committee Chairman Speaks Up for Fund-Raiser [New York Times, 5/16/12]
  • Watchdog group calls on Rep. Buchanan to step down [Bradenton Herald, 5/15/12]
  • Report Casts Harsh light on Lawmaker’s Fund-Raising [New York Times, 5/10/12]
  • New ethics issue dogs Buchanan [Herald-Tribune, 5/09/12]
  • Whistleblowers and former employees say Congressman Vern Buchanan broke the law at his car dealerships [WSTP, 5/06/12]
  • In deposition, ex-employee charges Florida congressman with wide variety of misdeeds, [Florida Independent, 4/05/12]
  • Former Buchanan Business Partner Files Suit,[The Florida Independent, 3/26/12]
  • Ethics Panel Opens Second Look into Rep. Buchanan, [The Hill, 3/23/12]
  • The Hill - Rep. Buchanan hit with FEC fine for faulty paperwork [The Hill, 1/16/12]
  • Sarasota Tribune Herald- Vern Buchanan campaign fined $1,500 [Sarasota Tribune Herald, 1/13/12]
  • Sarasota Tribune Herald - Lyons: Buchanan camp must define 'exonerated' differently [Sarasota Tribune Herald, 12/24/11]
  • The Ledger – Loser of Week: Vern Buchanan [The Ledger, 12/25/11]
  • Wall Street Journal - House Ethics Investigators Extend Buchanan Probe [Wall Street Journal, 12/22/11]
  • Sarasota Tribune Herald - House Ethics Committee investigating Buchanan [Sarasota Tribune Herald, 12/22/11]
  • Washington Post - House ethics panel extends probe of Fla. GOP Congressman Vern Buchanan [Washington Post, 12/22/11]
  • Roll Call - Ethics Extends Vern Buchanan Investigation [Roll Call, 12/22/11]
  • Bloomberg - House Ethics Panel Confirms Investigation of Vern Buchanan [Bloomberg, 12/22/11]
  • The Hill - Ethics panel extends look into allegations against Rep. Buchanan [The Hill, 12/22/11]
  • Sarasota Tribune Herald - Lyons: Buchanan camp must define 'exonerated' differently [Sarasota Tribune Herald, 12/24/11]
  • After NASCAR fundraiser, Vern Buchanan pushes tax break [Herald Tribune, 10/23/11]
  • Office of Congressional Ethics investigating Florida Rep. Buchanan [American Independent, 10/25/11]
  • Buchanan manages leak of investigation [Herald Tribune, 10/24/11]
  • Political challenges in Buchanan inquiry [Herald Tribune, 10/20/11]
  • Federal inquiry focuses on Buchanan [Herald Tribune, 10/19/11]
  • U.S. Department of Justice opens campaign finance probe of Vern Buchanan [Bradenton Herald, 10/19/11]
  • Feds investigate Fla rep's campaign contributions [AP, 10/18/11]
  • Report: Vern Buchanan under investigation by Department of Justice [Politico, 10/18/11]
  • Feds investigate Fla rep's campaign contributions [Bradenton Herald, 10/18/11]
  • Feds open campaign finance investigation of Rep. Vern Buchanan [Bradenton Herald, 10/18/11]
  • Fine approved for dealership once linked to Buchanan [Bradenton Herald, 10/15/11]
  • Car dealership fined for Buchanan contributions [Bradenton Herald, 10/14/11]
  • Buchanan Donation Penalty [Herald Tribune, 10/14/11]
  • Dealership Fined for Scheme to Reimburse Employees for Political Contributions [The Ledger, 10/14/11]
  • Buchanan's former dealership fined for illegal contributions [Herald Tribune, 10/13/11]
  • More former Buchanan employees speak out about pressure to donate, reimbursement scheme [Florida Independent, 8/5/11]
  • Source: U.S. Representative Buchanan Violated Federal Election Laws [The Ledger, 6/21/11]

Note: DCCC has art of headline “Soruce: Buchanan Violated Federal Election Laws.”

  • Ex-business partner claims Buchanan ordered plan to violate election laws [Sarasota Tribune Herald, 7/20/11]

Note: DCCC has art of headline “Buchanan Faces New Allegations: Ex-partner says he ordered a scheme to sidestep federal election law.”

  • Jacksonville car dealer: I'll prove Congressman Buchanan set up campaign finance scheme [Florida Times Union, 7/22/11]
  • House Republican claims campaign finance exoneration [The Hill, 6/13/11]
  • Buchanan was target of federal investigation [Sarasota Herald Tribune,6/13/11]

Note: DCCC has art of headline “Donation Inquiry is Closed by FEC: Records Show He was targeted in federal elections investigation.”

  • Buchanan dogged by allegations in FEC contributions case [Washington Post, 6/8/11]
  • Buchanan slow to reveal refund of disputed contributions [Tampa Bay Times, 6/6/11]
  • Buchanan refunds include former employee who complained [Sarasota Herald Tribune, 6/2/11]
  • FEC recommends fine for Fla. auto dealership [Associated Press, 6/1/11]
  • Feds recommend fine against former Jacksonville auto dealer [Florida Times-Union, 6/1/11]
  • FEC: Congressman Buchanan’s Hyundai dealership broke election law [Bradenton Herald, 6/1/11]

Note: DCCC has art of headline “FEC: Buchanan’s Hyundai firm violated law: Ex Business Partner Says Buchanan told them ‘this is what you need to do’

  • Buchanan’s former dealership violated the law in an ‘extensive and ongoing scheme’ [Florida Independent, 6/1/11]
  • FEC Goes After Dealership With Buchanan Ties for Campaign Finance Infractions [Roll Call, 6/1/11]
  • FEC Seeks $68K fine against former Buchanan car dealership [Politico, 6/1/11]
  • FEC Seeks $67,900 From Rep. Buchanan’s Former Business [Wall Street Journal, 6/1/11]

Other:

  • 10 News Investigators: Tax Dollars Providing Free Mail for Members of Congress [WTSP, 5/09/12]
  • Vern Buchanan tops House in use of taxpayer-funded mailers [St. Petersburg Times, 7/18/11]
  • Rep. Vern Buchanan is No. 1 spender on mass mailings in House [Sarasota Tribune Herald, 6/6/11]

Note: DCCC has art of headline “Top Spender on Communications: He Lays Out More in Three Month Span Than Anyone Else in House.”

Editorials

  • The world according to Vern Buchanan: Ethics, schmethics [Tampa Bay Times, 5/11/12]
  • Big Spender Vern Buchanan [St. Petersburg Times, editorial, 7/19/11]

“Buchanan among those self-professed fiscal conservatives in Washington who want the country to ‘do as I say, not as I do. In the first three months of this year, the Sarasota Republican led the U.S. House by spending $142,198 of taxpayers' money on slick, full-color mailings and other communications to his constituents. So much for frugality…But here's another comparison for Buchanan: In just three months, he spent three times as much government money on self-promotional propaganda as the average Florida public schoolteacher makes in a year. And he did it as a member of the new House majority that refuses to raise the debt ceiling without significant cuts in federal spending.” [St. Petersburg Times7/19/11]

  • Lyons: Buchanan Exonerated? Not so much [Sarasota Herald Tribune, editorial,6/15/11]
  • Buchanan Out of Balance [Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 10/26/11]
  • Bipartisanship on Debt Reduction [Sarasota Trbibune Herald, 11/7/11]

“Political courage and bipartisanship are rare commodities in Congress these days, but both qualities were evident in a letter that 100 House members sent last week to the debt-reduction supercommittee […]While many of the signers are moderates from both parties, the letter also represented a mix of conservatives and liberals [… ] Unfortunately, two others from Southwest Florida, Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, and Connie Mack, R-Cape Coral, did not join the bipartisan call.” [Sarasota Trbibune Herald, 11/7/11]

Budget Issues

WSTP: “No Florida Representative Spent More on Mass Communication than Vern Buchanan”

In April 2012, WTSP reported Buchanan was one of the top spenders on Franking.

“Taxpayers, not campaigns, are paying for pieces that tout a U.S. representative’s achievements and political positions, and it cost them more than $31 million last year [...] And no Florida representative spent more on mass communication than Vern Buchanan.” [WSTP, 4/09/12]

Herald Tribune: Buchanan’s Support for Ryan Budget Problematic in District

In April 2012, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported that Buchanan’s support for the Ryan budget plan could be problematic “in congressional district with more than 160,000 Medicare recipients.”

“It all ties back to one vote in Congress in March on a budget proposal by U.S. Rep Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin. The Ryan plan called for big budget cuts to pay down the debt. But it also included the start of a plan to convert Medicare into a privatized voucher style program for people under 55 [...] Buchanan supported the budget plan and has defended the Medicare changes, saying they are intended to keep the program solvent in the long term [...] But Buchanan already may be seeing signs of how tricky it is to defend the Ryan plan in a congressional district with more than 160,000 Medicare recipients who worry that any tinkering could hurt them.” [Herald-Tribune, 5/08/12]

Buchanan Admitted Congress Lacks Fiscal Discipline

In June 2011, On his campaign website, Buchanan admitted that “Congress clearly lacks the fiscal discipline needed to balance the budget.” [Vern Buchanan for Congress, accessed 6/7/11]

Buchanan Ran For Congress Opposed to Earmarks

“On the campaign trail, Tim Mahoney and Vern Buchanan decried the billions of dollars slipped into federal spending annually through earmarking. But more than half a year into their first terms in Congress and facing pressure to show they can bring home money to their local districts, Mahoney and Buchanan have embraced the controversial funding practice, seeking millions of dollars for special local projects and sending out news releases to tout their success [… ] ‘We must end the process of earmarks,’ Buchanan, a Longboat Key Republican, declared in campaign mail sent to voters in five counties last year. [Sarasota Tribune Herald, 7/19/07]

Buchanan Claimed to Secure the Funding for Ware’s Creek But President Already Included Spending in Budget

“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved an agreement with Manatee County to dredge Ware’s Creek, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan announced in a press release Tuesday [… ] The project will cost about $42.6 million, and Buchanan secured $8.5 million of the $13.8 million in federal commitment.” From 2008-2010, Buchanan’s earmarks were also requested by the President. In 2008, Vern Buchanan, Senator Mel Martinez and President Bush requested $4.6 million for Ware Creek. In 2009, Vern Buchanan, Senator Mel Martinez and President Bush requested $3.8 million for Ware Creek. In 2010, Vern Buchanan and President Obama requested $5.5 million for Ware Creek. [Legistorm with information provided by Taxpayers for Common Sense, accessed 11/15/11; Bradenton Herald, 7/28/11]

Buchanan Previously Questioned for Railing on Spending but Adding Earmarks.

“U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan strongly objected to unnecessary spending he saw in the $410 billion emergency budget bill he voted against this week. But his objection was not enough to stop him from adding $17 million in pork barrel spending projects into the bill that will benefit his own district. Buchanan said he would prefer there were no earmarks, but if other members of Congress continue seeking them, he has little choice but to look out for the 13th Congressional District. That meant securing another $3.8 million for reconstructing Wares Creek in Bradenton.” [Sarasota Tribune Herald, 2/27/09]

Sponsored Balanced Budget Amendment for Third Time

In 2011, Buchanan sponsored a balanced budget amendment for the United States Constitution. This is the third time Buchanan has filed the bill and he has never been able to secure a committee hearing or a vote on it. [Herald Tribune, 2/13/11]

Buchanan A “No” Vote on Debt Ceiling

In May 2011, Vern Buchanan voted against raising the debt ceiling saying that “The time to act is now. Doing nothing and repeating the mistakes of the past defies common sense if we're ever to remove the burden of debt that weighs so heavily upon us and future generations.” [Vern Buchanan Press Release, 06/01/2011]

Voted In Favor of the Boehner Budget Control Act

In July 2011, Buchanan voted in favor of the Boehner Budget Control Act, explaining that"We need to cut spending, reduce the deficit, and avoid the dangerous prospect of plunging America into default…The bill before us today will accomplish that without raising taxes on the American people." [Buchanan Press Release, 7/29/2011]

Called for Transparency in Cutting Government

In August 2011, Buchanan “called for the activities of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to be kept wide open to public scrutiny -- and said he intends to propose legislation to ensure all of that bicameral body’s meetings will stay in the sunshine.” [Sunshine State News, 8/5/2011]

Wrote Op-Ed in Herald Tribune on Budget

In July 2011, Buchanan wrote an op-ed in the Herald Tribune chastising Congress for not looking over the budget.

He wrote that “For too long, Republicans and Democrats have turned a blind eye to our government's budgetary mess. The 111th Congress added more to the national debt than the first 100 Congresses combined. This reckless pattern of borrowing and spending has put our country on a road to bankruptcy.” [Herald Tribune, 7/28/2011]

Business and Consumer Issues

Received Award from U.S. Chamber of Commerce

In March 2012, Buchanan received the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “Spirit of Enterprise” award. The award is based on rankings the Chamber gives members of Congress for key votes on issues established as priorities by the U.S. Chamber’s board of directors. [The Florida Independent, 3/29/12]

Opposed SOPA

In January 2012, Buchanan opposed the Stop Online Piracy Act.

Buchanan said, “This misguided legislation poses a serious threat to a free and open Internet," said Buchanan. "While we need to combat copyright infringement and online piracy, the solution is not censorship or excessive regulation of the global Internet. The heavy hand of the government must not be allowed to threaten our basic online freedoms." [Buchanan Press Release, 1/20/12]

Business Owners Attended Rep. Buchanan’s Small Business Conference

In March 2011, local entrepreneurs attended Buchanan’s small business conference, where they addressed issues of micro financing and getting loans from their banks. [Bradenton Herald, 3/15/11]

Buchanan on Free Trade Pacts

In August 2011, Rep. Buchanan discussed free trade pacts in an Op-Ed.

The Bradenton Herald reported “One important action Congress should take when it returns in September is to pass a package of free-trade agreements that will generate thousands of jobs in Florida and elsewhere.In fact, the Obama administration estimates that as many as 250,000 new American jobs could be created if we adopt pending agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.Unfortunately, these trade deals have been languishing in Congress for years, frozen by gridlock and partisan squabbling…Port Manatee adds more than $2.3 billion dollars annually in regional economic impact and supports more than 24,000 jobs. Expanding trade is an opportunity for jobs in our part of Southwest Florida. It is imperative that we enact these three FTAs immediately as these countries are entering in trade agreements with other countries.” [The Bradenton Herald,8/28/11]

Buchanan: Received 62% from Heritage Action for America

Based on 30 key votes from January-August 2011, Buchanan received a 62% score from the Heritage Action for America. [Heritage Action for America, accessed 9/6/11]

Campaign Finance Issues

Filed April FEC Report

In April 2012, Vern Buchanan for Congress filed its 2012 1st Quarter FEC report. Buchanan raised only $233,451 in the first quarter of 2012, has $1,473,198.62 cash on hand, and spent $484,332.21.

Buchanan made a $250,000 loan to his campaign.

NOTE: Fitzgerald raised $291,954.05in the first quarter and has $422,360.15 cash on hand.

Contributions of Note:

$2,610 Personal Plane In-Kind Contribution. Buchanan made a $2,610 in-kind contribution to his campaign during the first quarter. The contribution is described as his personal plane.

$5,000 from Invest in a Strong & Secure America PAC. Buchanan received $5,000 from Congressman Issa’s Invest in a Strong and Secure America PAC during the 1st quarter.

$1,000 from US Chamber of Commerce. Buchanan received $1,000 from the US Chamber of Commerce of the USA PAC during the first quarter.

$10,000 from Bealls PAC USA, Inc. Buchanan received $10,000 from Bealls PAC USA during the first quarter.

Expenditures of Note:

$17,097.72 to Document Technologies Inc for Document Copies. Buchanan reported paying $17,097.72 to Document Technologies Inc for document copies. Document Technologies “provides litigation support and eDiscovery services for law firms and corporate legal departments in the United States” and offers assistance in Department of Justice second requests. [Businessweek, accessed 4/15/12; DigitalDiscoveryESI.com, accessed 4/15/12]

$500 on Cigars. Buchanan reported spending $500 on “event supplies- cigars” from the Cigar Pac.

$2,445.59 on Donor Gifts from Fruit Company. Buchanan reported spending $2,445.59 on donor gifts from the Albitron Fruit Co.

$4,153.05 on Catering from Steakhouse. Buchanan reported spending $4,153.05 on catering from the Charlie Palmer Steakhouse.

$3,657.80 in Payments to Buchanan’s Jamatt Properties, Inc. Buchanan reported paying Jamatt properties $3,657.80 in rent, parking and storage. Buchanan is the president of Jamatt Properties.

$9,770.66in Payments to Yvonne Buchanan. Buchanan reported paying Yvonne Buchanan, his sister-in-law, $9,770.66 in mileage and payroll.

$20,952.84 to Morgan, Meredith & Associates. Buchanan reported paying Morgan, Meredith and Associates a total of $20,952.84 in fundraising consulting, event services, and mail charges.

$17,077.88 to Celena Thibodeaux Jensen for Finance Consulting. Buchanan reported paying Celena Thibodeaux Jensen $17,077.68 total in finance consulting and travel and lodging.

LeMieux Held Fundraiser with Buchanan’s Son’s Business Associate

In March 2012, The Florida Independent reported that Republican Senate candidate George LeMieux held a fundraiser at the home of Jesse Biter, a former Buchanan campaign staffer and business partner of Buchanan’s son. [The Florida Independent, 3/26/12]

VERN PAC Gave $2,500 to Romney

In November 2012, Buchanan’s VERN PAC gave $2,500 to Romney for President. Two months later, Buchanan formally endorsed Romney. [htpolitics.com, 3/21/12]

Attended Fundraiser with Boehner

In March 2012, Buchanan attended a fundraiser with House Speaker John Boehner.

Reporters were not allowed in for Boehner’s speech to donors who paid a minimum of $500 to get into the event at the home of Kim Githler in the Indian Shores neighborhood in northern Sarasota. For $10,000 couples at the event could be part of a VIP reception and get photos with Boehner. Neither Boehner or Buchanan spoke to reporters outside the event. [htpolitics.com, 3/04/12]

Reported as “A Stunning Display of Wealth”