News Coverage
Hill Web Sites Questioned
Published April 28, 2004
A Washington-based environmental group has accused Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) of posting campaign materials on his official Web site -- a violation of Senate ethics rules -- and asked the chamber's ethics committee yesterday to investigate.
The Environmental Working Group pointed to two obscure pages of Inhofe's Environment and Public Works Committee Web site that criticize John F. Kerry. "The junior senator from Mass. has been for Kyoto and against Kyoto," one page says, referring to the international environmental treaty. "When it comes to renewable energy, Senate Kerry says one thing, and does another," reads another.
Senate ethics rules prohibit members from using official resources for campaign purposes, although several Republican House members have posted similar materials attacking Kerry, including Inhofe's counterpart in the House, Resources Committee Chairman Richard W. Pombo (R-Calif.).
"These were not policy forays," said Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group. "These were, obviously, about the election."
Will Hart, a committee spokesman, declined to comment on the complaint, saying he had not seen the letter. "We'll take a look at the letter when we see it, and we believe we're perfectly within Senate rules," he said.