DENVER—Former Colorado congressman John Salazar used unspent money from his House office account to give out almost $100,000 in staff bonuses.
The Denver Post reported Thursday that after he lost re-election last year, Salazar gave 19 staffers bonuses between $1,000 and $8,000. Salazar, now Colorado agriculture commissioner, says he didn’t give bonuses the year before.
Some of the bonuses went to staffers who had worked on his re-election campaign last fall.
There is a “use it or lose it” policy for House budgets.
An ethics committee says it isn’t unusual for politicians to hand out small thank-you bonuses at the end of the year. But Common Cause, a Washington-based group advocating government accountability, says the size and number of bonuses given by Salazar are unusual.
———
Information from: The Denver Post,
