WASHINGTON -- Members of Congress have been quick to shame corporate executives for over-the-top extravagance, but some legislators are at fancy resorts, spending tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars, and mingling with lobbyists.
"We're very mindful" of perceptions, Rep. John Larson, the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said yesterday to reporters camped outside of the Kingsmill Resort & Spa in Williamsburg, Va., where House Democrats spent about $100,000 on their three-day annual retreat. "We've been dwelling, rightfully, on the economy."
Meredith McGehee of the Campaign Legal Center, a government ethics-watchdog group, said of the retreat: "If it's a luxurious setting or if there's particularly high-level entertainment, then they are running into the same problem. They don't get that these are tough economic times, that Americans are struggling, and they need to do their part."
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