‘Prince Of Pork’ Spokeswoman Says Helping ‘Navigate’ Bureaucracies Is A ‘Duty’

Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY)
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A spokeswoman for Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY), the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee who reportedly funneled more than $236 million in federal funds to nonprofit groups he created since 2000, is slamming the watchdog group which issued a report critical of Rogers and claiming that it is the “duty” of members of Congress to “help constituents navigate Washington’s vast bureaucracies.”

Jennifer Hing, a spokeswoman for the House Appropriations Committee, send over a statement responding to the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) report that said an additional $227 million in federal loans, grants and contracts went to a group of private firms linked to Rogers and the nonprofit companies.

Here’s the full statement:

“CREW has once again cobbled together half truths and false innuendos to justify wild and untrue accusations. None of this, including this absurd tactic, is new. In addition, it is not only appropriate, it is the duty of any Member of Congress to help constituents navigate Washington’s vast bureaucracies.”

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