The foundation has collected nearly $1 million in previously unreported pledges from major oil companies, insurers and other corporations in Louisiana with high-stakes regulatory issues, according to a review by The New York Times.
Like Bob Riley in Alabama, Jindal has touted his tough stance on ethics. But the cash flowing into his wife's foundation is raising eyebrows:
Mr. Jindal has made tightening Louisiana's ethics rules a centerpiece of his administration and has promised to crack down on the influence of special interests. But Anne Rolfes, founding director of an environmental group called the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, said the donations to Mrs. Jindal's charity compromise the governor's pledge.
"It may be a good cause, but it creates the appearance he is being bribed," Ms. Rolfes said. "And if you are truly committed to ethical behavior, you just need to stay away from it all together."
While Jindal is using his wife to bring in cash, Riley seems to be using his daughter in Alabama. Minda Riley Campbell, in an e-mail that was leaked last week, revealed that her father is planning to start a political action committee (PAC) in an apparent effort to divert funds from the Alabama Republican Party, which now is headed by Gov. Bentley and Bill Armistead, who generally are not seen as members of the Riley camp.
In an article from last September--"Congressional Charities Pulling In Corporate Cash"--The New York Times showed that Americans seemingly have not learned from political scandals of recent years:
It is difficult to determine how much corporate money flows into the lawmaker-affiliated charities. They are not required to disclose their donors or the amount of their gifts, and few of them do. After scandals involving Tom DeLay, a Texas Republican and former House majority leader, and the lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Congress adopted rules requiring corporations with lobbyists to report donations to charities established by a lawmaker.
The Times review, however, found at least a dozen companies that appear to have violated the requirements. A spokeswoman said the Senate Office of Public Records was barred from routinely checking lobbyist filings to ensure that they were honoring the rules.
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