Clyburn Earmarks Tied to Family

U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, criticized in the past for using tax dollars to fund pet projects, has set aside at least $6.2 million in federal budgets this decade for projects that could directly benefit his friends and family members, an analysis by The Sun News shows.

The budget appropriations, known as earmarks, include taxpayer dollars for a museum his nephew is helping to design, a community center that runs a program employing his sister-in-law and money for a Columbia wellness center that employs his daughter.

A taxpayer watchdog group says the earmarks are such blatant examples of patronage that the House Ethics Committee should investigate them.

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(David Wren, “Clyburn Earmarks Tied to Family,” The Sun News, 6/15/08)