“However, no investigation or action has yet been taken against Park Strategies LLC and the lobbyists who were at the heart of the alleged infraction.” Owens, immediately after ProPublica broke the story that the trip may have been illegally arranged by lobbyists, Owens agreed to pay the entire cost of the trip out of his own pocket,” the Public Citizen letter says. The campaign of Republican challenger Matt Doheny criticized Owens for the travel and the Post-Star in Glen Falls recently editorialized that it is “appalled” by the episode. Owens is facing a tight reelection race in northern New York district, and the trip hasn’t helped. The day after the ProPublica story was published, Owens announced he would reimburse the full cost of the trip to the sponsor, the Chinese Culture University. The lobbyists involved in planning the Owens trip include D’Amato John Zagame, a former aide to the senator and Sean King, the son of Rep. Park Strategies, which is a registered foreign agent for Taiwan, was founded by former Senator Al D’Amato of New York. The letter cites a May 10 ProPublica story, co-published with Politico, that revealed the lobbyists’ role in the trip.
Two officials from Public Citizen sent a letter today to the chief counsel of the ethics office requesting an investigation into whether Park Strategies broke House travel rules by organizing the trip for Owens, who enjoyed $500-a-night luxury hotels during his stay. Bill Owens (D-NY) and his wife in December. A government watchdog group is asking the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate a lobbying firm that organized a $22,000 trip to Taiwan for Rep.
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