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Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson repays Congressional Black Caucus Foundation for scholarshipsWASHINGTON, Sep 01, 2010 (The Dallas Morning News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson repaid the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation for scholarships she awarded to four relatives and two children of an aide, her office said today. She said she used personal funds. A Johnson spokeswoman said she paid the foundation about $31,000. The foundation's attorney, Amy Goldson, confirmed that the payment was received. Publicly available records from the foundation show that Johnson awarded 23 scholarships to the six ineligible students 2005 and 2009. She told The Dallas Morning News last week that each award was worth $1,000 to $1,200. "The debt has been repaid in full," Johnson said in a statement submitted today as a letter to the editor of The News, which aides then disseminated as a news release. The scholarships violated the foundation's nepotism rules, and none of the six students was eligible, because they neither lived nor went to school in a district represented by Johnson or the other 41 members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Johnson has been the center of a national storm since The News first reported on the scholarships on Sunday. The foundation's chairman, Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J., excoriated her this week for "self-dealing" and "unethical behavior" in announcing a review of the scholarship program. Pending that review, promotion for the 2011 scholarship competition -- which typically would begin in November -- will be delayed until at least January, Goldson said today. The foundation awarded more than $700,000 to more than 500 college students last year. Johnson and other caucus members each got $10,000 to divvy up among applicants to their offices. Johnson awarded more than a third of her scholarships since 2005 to the six ineligible relatives: two grandsons from Austin, two great-nephews from Plano, and the son and daughter of her top Dallas-based aide, Rod Givens, from Mesquite. Johnson has represented much of South Dallas for nearly 18 years. She initially defended her selections, saying she wasn't aware of any rules she might have violated. She later acknowledged violations but said she had only "unknowingly" broken the rules. On Monday, she promised to repay the funds this week, again emphasizing that she hadn't intentionally broken any rules. The next day, on her Facebook page, she characterized that statement as an apology. Today, in the letter to the editor, she accused The News of trying "to cast me in an unfair light that was intended to distort my image before my constituents and those who know of my personal commitment to public service.... This article gave the appearance that I over-looked the needs of a segment of my constituency to benefit my family; this was not the case." She added that since The News began inquiring about the scholarships. "I am more completely aware of the current CBCF Scholarship Guidelines." "This unfortunate incident is one spec [sic] in my commitment to a career in public service that spans more than three decades. While I have unknowingly made a mistake, and am too disappointed by this, I will continue my fight towards making opportunities for eligible young people and under-represented populations," she said. She reiterated a vow from Monday to delegate scholarships selection to an independent committee to avoid conflicts of interest in the future, and to take steps to ensure that her staff is aware of and complies with foundation rules. To see more of The Dallas Morning News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dallasnews.com. Copyright (c) 2010, The Dallas Morning News Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544). |