newjerseynewsroom.com

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Now in his 12th term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rob Andrews (D-1st district) went to Edinburgh for the wedding of a donor and volunteer adviser earlier this year during a larger European vacation with his family.

All very nice, but there’s one little detail. Over $9,000 spent on a five-star hotel, a wedding gift, and transportation, meals and other fees came out of Andrews’ campaign money, according to NJ.com. The hotel stay was said to cost $7,725, a gift for the bride and groom was $463, and cab fare, meals, tips and baggage came to $953.

Watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington plans to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission. Campaign fund laws say the money cannot be spent on personal matters. In 2009 Andrews had used $1000 in campaign funds to buy clothing after his luggage was lost in a flight, and Andrews reimbursed the funding.

According to the Newark Star Ledger, Andrews said the hotel stay and wedding gift was a campaign expense, and intended to show support to his donor. He said he paid for the flights, and the Andrews family vacation went on after the wedding at his own expense.

The National Republican Congressional Committee feels differently. They sent out a news release titled, “Andrews Treats Campaign Coffers Like a Personal Piggy Bank.”

In February, Andrews’ campaign donated $12,500 to the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia, where Andrews’ wife Camille is on the board of trustees. Andrews says he supports the theater because they conduct an arts outreach program for kids in the Philadelphia and Camden areas.

Andrews’ Democratic districts include parts of Camden, Gloucester and Burlington counties, and he has been winning re-election by large margins. Andrews is considered a potential contender to challenge Governor Chris Christie in 2013.