Friday, September 21, 2007

A Couple Where Both Are Members of Congress...

in different countries! The September 21, 2007 Idaho Statesman has this article about how Rep. Jerry Weller (R-IL) is not running for re-election:
Republican U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller, recently named one of the most corrupt members of Congress by a watchdog group, will announce he will not seek an eighth term, a spokesman said Friday.

Weller was to make the announcement at a Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce luncheon, citing family reasons.

"I need to give my family the time needed to be a full-time father and husband," Weller said in a copy of his speech, provided to The Associated Press.

Weller's announcement comes amid a swell of scrutiny. A watchdog group recently declared him one of the most corrupt members of Congress. He's fighting a subpoena in a former colleague's bribery trial, and he faces criticism that he did not reveal to Congress the extent of Nicaraguan land purchases.
Well, good, he's giving some other Republican enough time to make a serious run for the seat. But here's where the story gets weird:
The Tribune then reported that Weller's wife, Guatemalan congresswoman Zury Rios de Weller, had set up a nonprofit corporation in Illinois whose board also included Jerry Weller's mother, brother and business associate.

That led to questions about whether Weller should report his wife's finances to Congress. He has claimed an exemption from the rule, saying he knows nothing about her economic situation and doesn't contribute to or benefit from it.

"My husband never would do something illegal," Zury Rios de Weller told the Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre this week.
Is that weird, or what? A member of our Congress is married to a member of the Guatemalan Congress. I suppose it could be worse--he could be married to a member of the Iranian Parliament.

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